Danganronpa: Nihilistic Symphony
by Prince PokePersona
Summary: Why was I chosen? I didn't have any dreams before this all started...I was nothing. I was a nobody off the streets who wouldn't amount to anything in life... So why did I get accepted to this prestigious rich kid school? Is this one giant prank? Or is this actually some sinister reality? I just hope it's all a dream in the end...because who knew it would get this crazy...
1. Prologue: Dog Days

**Editor: Crimson Spider Lily**

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Why do you even bother trying?…...Why can't you work for your dreams like everyone else?…..Do you not have a hobby or something to strive for?…..Do you even have any passions or goals?….Why do you even exist if you're going to sit there and do nothing all day?

My entire life, people have been asking me those questions. Well, this is just the shorthand version if anything. I never really considered myself to be special, outstanding or even unique amongst the rest of my peers. Heck, I never even expected that I would get this far in life without having some sort of mental breakdown.

I don't really like talking about myself that much, considering there really is nothing special about a girl like me whatsoever. You've probably heard about this line in cheesy romantic comedies or written in some dumb light novel: you're an average everyday nobody with no likable qualities whatsoever outside of just being a nice person who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Well, about those generic and forgettable faces, I was probably a tier below those doormats. I was nothing special, someone not worth other people's attention nor do I want their eyes gazing upon me or prying into my personal life whatsoever. I'm perfectly content with the life I've built for myself these past sixteen years, which is doing nothing but sleeping, basically.

Now, before you dismiss me as one of the many people who wish they could do nothing but sleep all day and seclude themselves in their bedroom- well, you'd be both right and wrong at the same time.

I do, in fact, love sleeping all day, but that's only in part because I can't do anything else worth mentioning without sounding like a tryhard. I'm not an athlete; I never cared for going outside and playing any type of sport. I'm not academically brilliant; I don't have an ego like most of those budding scientists and inventors. I'm not physically attractive or beautiful by anyone's standards; I don't care much for my appearance nor do I wish to and I much prefer walking around in my pajamas than bothering to get dressed to go anywhere really.

I prefered the insulated little bubble that I called my life. I love being indoors and wasting my precious youth away like most generations before me have criticized mine in the past for doing. I don't have any aspirations and I don't have that many hobbies that I'm particularly good at, mostly aside from staying glued to a screen all day.

Sleeping is the only thing that I'm actually good at. In fact, I decided to apply for a job that actually pays me to sleep, literally. I'm a mattress tester at a local mall in my busy and bustling town in the middle of nowhere. I work there from Mondays through Fridays, from nine to five, earning minimum wage like every other teenage. I even still live with my parents, how pathetic is that.

You might be wondering what my parents think about all of this and why they had let me end up this way. Well, dear reader, why don't you ask them yourself? I honestly don't even care for their opinion of me anymore, I'm one hundred percent honest about that. You might think I'm another bratty teenager who needs to get out more and should respect my elders or some crap, and while you are right, you're also wrong as well.

Let me explain, I was a very sickly girl growing up, my parents cared for me the best they could, all the while dealing with my weak immune system and depression. They've tried everything from sleep therapy, hypnosis, reverse psychology, antidepressants and other medications and even simple household remedies you could make with stuff you find at home. Want to know how it ended? Well, of course, all these specific "treatments" failed with little to no success.

I don't really believe in that all that psychosomatic crap or whatever they call it. Those doctors only cared about one particular thing and that's making money off of hapless idiots who will do anything to cure themselves of their perceived illnesses. Honestly, doctors are just there for validation, in my opinion from years of experience, and to take every last penny the government or you give them in order to keep you coming back for more. I'd call it extortion, but unfortunately it's legal according to the government's healthcare plan, so no one bats an eye at these tactics and they all go along with their day as if nothing happened.

My parents were very controlling and two faced people and that's the sugarcoated version. They'd rather have a trophy to tote around instead of a child to raise and care for, as if they didn't sign up to be parents in the first place. They always considered me to be the problem and blamed all their mistakes on me. I never liked socializing nor did I make any friends when I went to public schools due to my diminishing health and social anxiety. I always came home, jumped into my bed, took my medication, slept the days away and only came outside for food and to use the bathroom; basically the essentials.

It's not my fault I was born this way, on numerous occasions, my parents would lambast me for my behavior and innocuous mannerisms, here and there. They, despite not having any skills or qualifications in terms of athletics, beauty or academia, expected me to be better than them in every way shape and form, like some child prodigy puppet they could attach strings to and dictate my every move like some twisted game of chess.

Their ideal of the perfect daughter is some kind of shitty and half-assed porcelain doll, who would grow up to become beautiful, charismatic, gain lots of new friends, both in person and online, snatch up a boyfriend, maybe even graduate to college with a fancy pants degree, start a family with the next jackass who took a fancy to her and then to finish it off give birth to insufferable offspring who would only heighten my need to kill myself faster and give my parents someone to actually coddle and pamper.

I didn't want to be bound by their constrictive rules or mindset. They wanted a tool, someone they could manipulate into doing what they wanted. If that was the case, then they'd be better off adopting some random orphan off of the streets, instead of raising someone they considered a leech. How did they expect me to be any better than them, when they themselves don't tote much prowess in any sort of field? You reap what you sow is what I always believe in.

They were the worst parents ever, both figuratively and literally. As soon as they realized that I was just as monotone and boring as them, they quickly expunged me from their lives, but not entirely, mind you. I don't mean casually ignoring me from time to time or forgetting to make me breakfast for a few days, it went a step further than that. They would openly insult me but mask their harsh words with a polite and condescending tone. They would lampoon and make fun of me to their friends on the phone or when entertaining guests downstairs, belittle my sickly nature and even go so far as to force me to do whatever they wanted, no matter if it interested me or not.

If I didn't listen to them, they would either berate me, call me an ungrateful little brat who they wished was never born and even on occasion hit me with the closest object they had on hand, a newspaper, belt or something much worse if it was in their line of sight.

I've become numb to their rants, diatribes and meaningless lectures. They never understood me nor did they even care to pay any attention or ask me how I'm doing half the time. I was basically nothing to them, just another mouth to feed, living underneath their roof.

Their foundation of "discipline", as they liked to call it, was nothing short of child abuse. No one at school seemed to care either, my classmates would all look at me with cautious or disconcerting eyes and either snicker like a gremlin or laugh in my general direction. They either giggled or chuckled to their friends, openly talked aloud about whether I actually earned my grades to get into the school or more than often taunt me with snide remarks and openly mock me for my health or habits, asking me to do favors for them or they would harass me everyday and call me names until I graduated.

I wanted them out of my face but didn't have the courage to tell them off as most would, so I was their servant for a few years, catering to their every whim as everyone laughed at me, someone who was easy to take advantage of and the weakest among the pack. No one stood up for me, nor did any teacher seem to care or notice enough to actually step in. Our education system was a failure in more ways than one, the students got away with bullying and harassing their classmates and the teachers were more concerned with getting their paycheck or getting the lesson over and done with. It makes me laugh even more when people wonder why the suicide rate is increasingly high in Japan. It's because of treatment like this, that goes unnoticed, yet people want to act like they care, once the person in question dies and then they forget about them a month later.

I eventually dropped out of school at age thirteen, learning that my peers were morons who had nothing better to do with their lives than whine on social media or talk about what their plans for after middle or high school was. But unlike them, I didn't have such clear aspirations or goals nor did I cling to much materialism.

My parents officially disowned me, but still kept me under their roof, since I was still underage at the time. They would feed me, give me clothes to wear and even let me sleep in my own room, but only out of obligation, when their friends came over, they would laugh and joke like the two-faced liars they were, pretending as if they didn't have a child to take care of or even acknowledge from time to time.

At that point in my life, I didn't want anything to do with anyone anymore, I had officially lost faith in all of humanity and no, this is not a joke, I mean it. The only thing that kept me tethered to life was my job at the mall, testing new mattresses and getting paid to basically do nothing but lounge around like a couch potato. When I said sleeping was my safe haven, I meant it in every sense of the word.

Even though I got paid scraps daily, I still enjoyed every second I could squeeze out of each boring work day. I got paid to sleep, which is the only thing I actually look forward to at the end of the day and everything else in my life, only spiraled downhill once it started to look up.

A shallow and pathetic dream you might be saying to yourself, well it may be shallow to you, but to me it's the exact opposite, it's quite fulfilling. It's actually one of the reasons I haven't killed myself yet, if you really care to know. Why would I, I'm too lazy to do it, so don't give me that look.

At school, they would always give these sentimental yet half-hearted speeches about teenage suicide that fly over everyone's heads in favor of the latest trending topic on social media. If people actually cared about stuff like that, then I'd be getting counsel right now as we speak.

To put it simply, I had no reason to live…..none whatsoever….

So why did I get a letter to the most prestigious academy in the city? Who even cared to notice someone like me? What exactly led up to what can be considered the most hectic and mind boggling experience of my adolescent life? Well, let's find out.

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I woke up one fateful day, feeling refreshed and lethargic, awoken from a good dream about dancing sheep and caramel fudge brownies and realized that I was back in the real world. I groggily flipped my blanket covers to the side of my bed, leaving my bedroom at a zombie's pace, slinking into the kitchen. I yawned loudly, stretching my arms out and noticing my parents had both left for work, judging from there being two plates having been freshly washed and surprise surprise, no breakfast for me.

I rolled my eyes and noticed some mail on the table, picking it up in sheer curiosity and perusing through its contents. As per usual, it was nothing special: bills, fashion magazines, taxes and other useless junk.

That is until I noticed a particularly pretty maroon envelope with a very unique logo on the top right side. It was colored white on its crest and bore a white bird of sorts on the cover like a dove, had white olive vines wrapped around its wings sticking out like thorns, a white pencil faced diagonally left of the dove, a white sword facing the opposite direction of the pencil. Behind the dove was a shield of sorts, one side black and the other white.

It looked to be from some fancy rich people type of school, but I didn't really pay it much mind at the time. I just assumed they might have gotten the wrong address or something from how regal the envelope was, because otherwise why would I get something like this?

I then dumped it into the trash can in the kitchen and went on with my day, the same old same old routine, nothing new, took the bus to the mall, tested a new line of mattresses and came home to parents who couldn't give a damn about me or even notice I was gone.

The next day, however, was another story entirely. Instead of getting more bills, I saw another maroon envelope, with the same white logo on the top right corner, similar to the one I got the day before. I immediately thought it must have been some stupid prank or something. Whoever was pranking me had a really nasty sense of humor, I had to give them that.

This time, instead of dumping it, I unraveled the top, pulled out the letter and noticed it was addressed to me and not my parents. I then began to read its contents; it looked to be one of those college acceptance letters you get once you fulfill a certain requirement like writing an essay or participating in a contest or something, so I guess you could call it an acceptance letter of sorts.

I never recalled doing anything similar or special to get into any school nor did I even attempt something like that for that matter, but I read the letter anyway. It read as follows:

" _Dear, Ms. Makura,_

 _We would like to humbly congratulate you on gaining acceptance to Serenity Heights Academy. As an newly forged Ultimate Student, you will have many opportunities at your disposal. This is your chance to join the ranks as one of the many future and potential Ultimates who have attended our school…_ "

The letter went on to aggrandize and adulate the school's many achievements, from the multiple school events, to the college opportunities and how many Ultimates pursue a higher degree or get successful jobs or something along those lines. A whole list of reasons to entice anyone with an average personality. I instantly assumed it was a prank from the get go.

However, what caught my attention was the talent that they referred to me as; it stood out the most to me, amongst the clutter and congested words inscribed onto the white paper.

" _As the Ultimate Mattress Tester…_ "

Ultimate? So wait? I was some kind of special student to these people? Is this not a prank? Are they serious about this? Someone must be trolling me, right?

I mean Ultimate Mattress Tester? Did they really scrape the bottom of the barrel when it came to picking students to attend this fake sounding school or were they that desperate due to low attendance? I mean, call me crazy, but any school that parades around the word Ultimates liberally, as this letter suggests, must be some sort of prank or joke school. This letter's sole purpose, in my eyes, was meant to patronize me further as someone who was only good for sleeping, I might as well be called "the Ultimate Mattress Tester."

I obviously dismissed this letter as well, not sure if someone was intentionally trying to troll me or if someone from my old school wanted to prank me one last time to sink it into my brain that teenagers suck. Was it to get my hopes up at a bright future or was it to ruin whatever little faith I had left in humanity? I don't know anymore…

I tossed it into the trash and headed back to my bedroom to get ready for my job at the mattress store. I went upstairs, headed to my room in the back and looked at the sky outside of my foggy window. I noticed there was a slight chance of rain from the grey clouds and the gloomy atmosphere encompassing the area, spackles of rain landed onto my window as I felt the cold glass breathing onto my fingertips.

"Perfect…" I mumbled quietly, somewhat satisfied.

For me personally, it was a fantastic day when it was about to rain or drizzle. It helped me sleep better, knowing that my parents aren't here to annoy me and that I could take a nice bus ride to the mall, while staring at the raindrops pattering against the window screen. It was pure bliss in my opinion.

I guess I never really introduced myself did I? Well it's not like you'll remember my name anyway, it's probably too late as well. But if you must know, my name is Ruri Makura..….there, happy now? Even my name is boring and uninspired.

It may sound cute and adorable to others, but I didn't think the same. Let's just say when you get called "Dreary Ruri" as often as I have, then it becomes annoying to have to listen to the same repetitive childish insult over and over again like a broken record.

I stared into the mirror near my white vanity and gazed at my appearance. I was bland in every way, shape and form. Well, what I constitute as bland anyways.

My messy long pink hair was fashioned into a wavy ponytail that ended at my knees with two long strands of hair framing the sides of my sleepy face like two low hanging twin tails. My dark pink eyes hid black bags underneath, not that I made much effort to cover them up. My pale skin felt soft to touch but slightly unhealthy from lack of vitamin D. My skinny and petite frame emphasized how frail I was nor did I have the chest that would impress anyone either. I have dimples in my cheeks and there was a birthmark shaped like some fluffy cloud on my left leg.

Aside from my pink hair and pink eyes, everything else about me didn't really stand out much. Funnily enough, I got bullied for my hair color, even though it's natural. It's harder for me to remain inconspicuous when my hair sticks out worse than a sore thumb.

I rummaged through my closet and didn't see much of note, except the same old ugly, unfashionable outfits my parents forced me to wear on random occasions in order to look presentable. I took out my only favorite and comfortable outfit and slapped it onto my person as sluggishly as humanly possible.

It comprised of a light, silky pink nightgown with a bow tied around the collar. It was fitted so that it's cut above my knees with frilly white ends. A pink and white vest rested snugly underneath my gown and reached the dress' ends. I wore my favorite fuzzy pink bunny slippers with white eyes and black whiskers, a pink ribbon night mask tied around my neck, a white headband with a pink rose resting on the side of my head, a pink bracelet around my right wrist with an artificial white sheep on the strap and a small strap on my left wrist with a dark red mini pillow attached to it, in case I got sleepy on the go.

I know my outfit was cute and very feminine, but you wouldn't believe how comfortable it really was. It was like wearing a fluffy white pillow. The poofy white cotton fibers and silky smooth fabric rubbed against my skin ever so tenderly and my pink slippers made it easier for me to take them off at a moment's notice. Considering my job, this was my go-to outfit, even if people gave me weird stares as I made my way to the mall or even to the bus stop.

With all that in hand, I headed out of my house, leaving with no breakfast and only indulging on a glass of water before leaving. I didn't bother locking the door or cleaning up my room, because no one seemed to mind and I stared back at my house, staring at the nameplate of our family's last name, "Makura" and scoffing in disgust, glaring at the name with an ice cold stare.

"I hate this family…" I mumbled as I left the house, walking at a slow pace.

I passed by the neighbours' homes on the way, as some of them either stared at me, almost as if I was an alien, whispering to their other neighbors behind my back, ignoring me completely or giving me half-hearted hellos.

"I hate this neighborhood…" I mumbled, arriving at the bus stop.

I sat on the blue bench underneath a shaded area by the seats, as some drizzle poured down from the grey sky. I sat there calmly, sleepily gazing at the sky above, and pretended to count sheep. I felt content listening to the sound of rain; it was soothing and one of the few things that kept me at ease.

As I daydreamed, two people sat near me on the bench as well, from the looks of them, they were students from the old middle school I used to attend. I knew I remembered that gaudy school uniform from somewhere; the design was etched into my mind, like a bad memory.

The boys' uniform was a black shirt with a collar that extended to their necks, black pants and brown shoes. The girls' uniform consisted of a white blouse, blue navy necktie, navy blue skirt, black socks and brown shoes. A bunch of normal colors that clashed with my hair and my eyes, as most people would tell me.

"Oh, sorry miss.." the boy said, "Didn't see you there, my bad."

"Don't talk to her…" the girl remarked cautiously, "She's that girl…"

"Oh, her…." the boy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree in shock, "You're right…"

"Let's go…" the girl tugged onto the boy's arm.

The two students left the bus stop, almost in a hurry. From the looks of it, they didn't want to be seen fraternizing or in the general vicinity as the hag who never leaves her room. Word travels fast in this town of mine and it's no surprise that I even scare children away.

"I hate that school...fuck everyone…" I mumbled grumpily.

I continued looking at the sky as I awaited for my bus to arrive. I suddenly felt a bit sleepier than usual, more so than I usually was. My eyelids were heavier than lead and my body felt tipsy and drowsy, almost as if someone had drugged me with some gas or liquid I consumed.

As I swayed back and forth, my body fell over to the side of the bench. My then weakened state only heightened what little hope I had of getting back up. I hazily spied a black car of sorts, approaching the bus stop, as faint images of men in suits appeared from the vehicle and approached me, with the coldest faces I've ever seen in my life.

Was this really happening? Is my life really...going to end this way….Is this for real?

….Or one big dream?

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello hello lovely people, I am back once again with another Danganronpa story!

Now before you all start asking me questions about where I've been lately and what the hell I'm doing making more stories when I should be focusing my attention on the three I have right now. Let me explain.

Firstly, this story isn't an SYOC, so sorry guys ;-;

As much as you love my SYOC's, I've decided to shake up my writing style for a bit and work on a side project that's honestly just for shits and giggles. Of course this story won't be as heavily uploaded as my other works, considering this one is more of an off-day project, but that doesn't mean it's dead in the water.

Secondly, this is an AU setting, so Hope's Peak doesn't exist, but instead Serenity Heights, my own version of Hope's Peak and this story will not be canon, go figure. So anything in this story is anyone's guess. However there might be a few references I could potentially slip in that you might not notice X3.

Thirdly, this is my first time making an original Danganronpa story with my own original cast, so bare with me. It's not going to be one hundred percent perfect like the games and if you spot some inconsistencies with my original characters, it might have a purpose, maybe not, we'll see XD.

Fourthly, if this story does eventually get off the ground and it does really well, I might make more stories like it in the future, if I'm able to XD. Who knows, I have a lot of OCs to make and potentially send off to death games, so yeah, good times X3.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has supported me with my previous stories and are continuing to send love their way. It means a lot to me that you guys like what I've done so far and what I have achieved over these two years I've been on FF.

Enough rambling, here is the official cast of Danganronpa Nihilistic Symphony and if you have any thoughts on the character's talents or who you think might die, even though you haven't met them yet, let me know in the reviews or the PMs X3.

Of course this story isn't meant to garner any sort of attention, this is just me expressing my love for a series that brought me out of a dark period in my life, so to show my love and dedication to writing, I present to you this AU story.

Bye guys, I hope you all have a wonderful day, night, holiday or whatever it is you are celebrating. I will see you all later, whenever I decide to upload next, and, without further ado, I present the cast of Nihilistic Symphony.

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 **STUDENT ROSTER** :

 **Males** :

Tatsuya Teruhashi - Ultimate Daredevil

Aloysius Brighton - Ultimate Historian

Garou Fujiyama - Ultimate Politician

Saiji Ogata - Ultimate Thief

Eizo Dokidoki - Ultimate Surgeon

Zakuro Sakuranbo - Ultimate Pomologist

Katsuki Yukimoto - Ultimate Movie Director

Danuja Uyemura - Ultimate Cult Leader

 **Females** :

Ruri Makura - Ultimate Mattress Tester

Momoko Iesada - Ultimate Wedding Planner

Haruhi Uchimiya - Ultimate Fashion Consultant

Meisa Hayakawa - Ultimate Shrine Maiden

Nozomi Sakukaji - Ultimate Rapper

Latifah Cartwright - Ultimate Newspaper Editor

Rin Tsuzurahara - Ultimate Broadway Singer

Kotori Nomura - Ultimate Tinkerer

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If there are any talents that catch your fancy, please let me know X3 in the reviews or PM's as well.

Happy reading my fellow readers, authors and otaku alike, have a wonderful week.

Bye bye!


	2. NS: Character Intros Pt 1

**Editor: Crimson Spider Lily**

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I don't really remember much from the time I arrived to the bus stop and the moment I passed out from whatever drug was inside my system. What I do remember, however, is a bunch of shady-looking men wearing black suits, dogpiling me one by one and carrying me into their shady black vehicle. After that, it all went dark; that's as far as I what I know.

If I was going to die a worthless and pathetic hermit, then something like this was bound to happen from the start. I just didn't expect it to be so soon, which was the part that shocked me the most. I knew that no one, not even my own parents, would care if I went missing. In fact if something like this happened, they would probably celebrate, more likely than not at the idea of having one less mouth to feed.

I know that's a very morbid thought, but when you've been treated the way I've been treated these past few years, it starts to grow on you that, in the end, no one will actually miss you. Some may shed a tear, but that's only to keep up appearances and not to look like complete sociopaths, which they secretly are and are just too proud to admit to themselves. Then again, I'm just some spoiled brat who doesn't know any better, so my word doesn't really matter in the end.

I didn't think that anyone, for that matter, would miss someone as totally forgettable as me. Aside from my obnoxiously pink hair and eyes, nothing else stood out about me in terms of character or individuality. So, I guess it was some weird blessing of sorts that these shady men captured me while no one was watching, it was an opportunity to escape my boring life and die the hapless cretin I was.

When I opened up my eyes, however, what I awoke to wasn't absolute darkness, but a strangely warm light on my skin. It was both incandescent as well as annoyingly colorful with how bright it was. My entire body felt as if it was run over by a large truck, as one single movement was a struggle in and of itself.

I managed to get up to my waist level, rubbing my head and brushing back some pink locks of hair from my face, to see that I awoke in a strange room that I've never seen before, not even in my dreams.

"Where...am I?…. Am I dead?" I wondered confusingly, squinting my eyes to avoid the horridly bright lights blinding me, "Ugh….why...am I here?"

I shook my head and blinked a few times, getting a better look at the room I was in. I didn't know whether to freak out, to be curious or just be bewildered in the place I ended up in.

It was a rectangular room that looked to be some sort of classroom. There were about four rows of four metal desks with attachable hollows to place your notes and other books inside of and there were black swivel chairs with dark blue cushioning on the seats. The floor was a smooth cobalt blue tile pattern with black lines in between each tile, the wallpaper was a gaudy shade of dark green with black vines and swirls scattered throughout the paper's hideous design. There was an electronic whiteboard in the far center of the room with about four different colored markers from red, blue, black and green. A digital clock on the wall showed the current time, or what I thought was the actual time, listed at 10:42 AM, meaning it was still morning and near the whiteboard was a brown desk, maybe a teacher's desk, where there lay nothing on the tabletop minus a rotten looking apple and some dull pencils in a metal cup.

"Great...not only did I get kidnapped…and shipped to god knows where..." I moaned sleepily, trying to get up from the cold floor, "I'm late for work too…"

I managed to drag myself up to one of the chairs on one of the desks and managed to sit comfortably, stretching my arms out wide and yawning louder than I've ever before.

I took another perusal of the room and noticed one of the oddest things I've ever seen in my life. The windows in the room were barred off with metal plates, tightened securely with metal screws and bolts so there was no natural light entering into the room, aside from the obnoxious bright blue light coming from the hallway and the wall lights.

"What kind of... dream is this?" I wondered, scratching my head and looking around the room some more, "Might as well check around… What a pain."

Since I didn't like to exercise or get out of my house much when I was younger, my legs tend to wobble every time I'm stuck in a certain position for too long. It was a constant chore for someone like me, but it's the price I paid for being a lazy slob most of my life so this wasn't very shocking.

My legs shivered as I tried getting up slowly from my seat, resting my arms on the cold metal desk as I felt it press against my skin ever so smoothly. It was like rubbing your body against a refrigerator or swiping your elbow on a smooth countertop in a cold room; it sent a chill down my spine, with each movement feeling colder than the last.

"Helloooo~" chimed a voice coming from outside the classroom doors, "Tinker tinker~ anyone in here?"

The door opened with a swoosh as I was able to stand on my two feet, if only for a few seconds before falling back onto my butt and back onto the cold floor. Needless to say, it wasn't a fun time.

"My oh my~" the voice giggled, sounding very high pitched and cutesy in tone, must have been a girl's voice, "Click clack, what do we have here, hehe~"

I rubbed my back, feeling some redness on it as I turned my head to look to see an extended hand and a person standing in front of me, offering assistance. It was a girl, but her entire appearance and outfit were what left me confused, leaving me to believe I was still dreaming.

Her long silvery brown hair was tied into two messy twin tails that bounced playfully against her waist while her yellow eyes were like two round gold nuggets with the way they shimmered in the room's lighting. Her pale white skin was similar to a porcelain dolls' complexion, accentuating her skinny physique with the same sized chest as me. Her fingernails were painted grey with glittery gold cogs intricately painted onto her tiny nails. Black lipstick was painted on her lower lip and white lipstick was on her upper lip, making her look like some monochrome clown, the grey smudges on her cheeks looking similar to oil stains, but upon further inspection, it was actually black blush, with gold eyeshadow shimmering on her eyelids and highlighted by black winged eyeliner.

Her makeup made her look like an actual living doll or, maybe, a very machine-like one at that. Her look was very reminiscent to that of steampunk cosplay, and judging from her outfit, it only cemented that fact deep into my head .

She wore a light grey fluffy blouse that had puffed out shoulders with a black corset laced tightly around her petite waist, a dirty white puffed out tulle skirt with brown belts strapped to the corset and connected to the skirt's ends with black lace hiding underneath the skirt's hem. Gold and silver striped leggings reached up to her thighs with brown boot heels with white straps on her feet. She wore a brown top hat, similar to that of the Mad Hatter's hat, with silver ribbon wrapped around the base of the hat with stainless steel googles resting around the hat smudged with oil and dirt. A white lace choker hugged her neck snugly and around it was a gold rose sitting on the left side of her neck. To finalize her over the top look, she wore maroon sleeve like gloves on her forearms that reached halfway to the palm of her hands with brown belts wrapped around her wrists.

Her entire overall outfit screamed some type of inventor or overblown cosplayer. She looked as if she went to the nearest party supplies store and splurged her budget on cheap costumes and inexpensive makeup, then immediately got dressed in the dark.

"Such a clumsy little cog~" she giggled as I took her hand, pulling me up from the floor, "You should mind your step, silly!"

I didn't know how to approach this girl as soon as I got to my feet, dusting off my gown and staring at her with a tired glare. I'm not one to break the ice, nor do I want to start a conversation with her, not knowing where we were first or what she is in general.

"Whatever…" I sleepily groaned, "Who are you?…..where am I?"

"Someone's very forward, tinker tinker," she giggled, making a small smile, "But very well."

"I may not know where we've landed, maybe somewhere magical, who cares~" she spun around giddily, "But I can introduce myself instead, that might help."

I rested on a nearby chair as she playfully skipped in front of me, almost getting a bit too close for my liking. She put on her goggles and made a weird pose, her right hand making a peace sign like gesture while her left hand pulled something out of her right skirt pocket. She took out a small tool, a wrench, and put that up for me to see; it was rusted and had some black stains caked onto its head part.

"Feast your eyes," the strange girl, chirped playfully, "She is the princess of machines, the fixer of broken memories and the spare parts master!"

She continued aggrandizing herself with more buzzwords as I started to fall asleep quickly. Listening to her ramble on about herself was more boring than watching an animal documentary, if anything. She was very passionate, but it was hard to take her seriously when she wore such a ridiculous get-up and talked oddly.

"A true maiden of mystery," the girl titled her top hat, "I'm the Ultimate Tinkerer herself, Kotori Nomura!"

 **KOTORI NOMURA - ULTIMATE TINKERER**

Well that was something….

So the strangely dressed girl had a normal name like that…..how anti-climatic, all that build up and it fell flat at the end. It did give me a jolt when when she screamed out her name. I blinked a few times, rubbing my eyes from sleepiness and didn't really say anything back or react the way she intended, judging from the disappointed look on her face.

"How rude~" she puffed her cheeks and removed the goggles from her face, "I go through all that trouble to introduce myself, and you don't even applaud or clap?"

"I'm sorry, I don't see a sign telling me to do that," I snidely replied, "And frankly, I don't really care...I just want to know where we are….you're dodging the question."

Kotori put the wrench back into her pocket, adjusting her top hat and sighing in frustration from her grand intro being spoiled by a humorless response.

"The gears in my little noggin haven't the faintest idea~" she curiously replied, "Maybe we were destined to meet each other in this mysterious place, the cogs of fate spinning ever so favorably for this encounter!"

And she talks weird too….fan-freaking-tastic…

"Does the sleepy pomegranate have a name to tickle this inventor's fancy?" she tilted her head, sitting on the chair next to mine, patiently awaiting an answer as she rested her chin in her hand.

I glared at her with an icy stare but she didn't seem phased by my invisible signals telling her to go away, so I conceded, sighing and telling her it anyway.

"Ruri Makura…." I mumbled out, "There...happy now?.."

"Ruri...Ruri.." Kotori began mumbling to herself, fidgeting with her arm sleeves, "Alright Riri, clickety clack, does one have a talent to match?"

I guess she wanted to know if I had some Ultimate Talent or whatever, judging from her cryptic way of asking me that question. Knowing that this girl was some "Ultimate" must mean there were other people like her. If that was the case, then there might be more people who were considered "Ultimates" too, and they might have ended up here like the two of us. However, I didn't really have much of an answer for her, or knew what she was talking about, since I didn't really consider myself an "Ultimate" like she did.

"A woman of mystery~" Kotori winked, "I see, I see!"

"Not really…" I rubbed my head, pushing back some more strands of hair, "...Ultimate...Mattress Tester…"

 **RURI MAKURA - ULTIMATE MATTRESS TESTER**

I almost choked when I said that sentence, not sure if that's what I should refer to myself as, considering I had no idea what it meant either. However from the few short minutes I've known her, she was the type to pester and nag till you give her a response, so it'd be best for me to tell her something to get her off my back.

"Oh ho ho~" Kotori giggled, trying to hide her laughter, "So you do have a talent...for sleeping on fluffy pillows, how adorable."

"I guess…" I shrugged my shoulders and stood up from my seat, now able to keep my balance, "It's not like it matters honestly..."

"Tinker tinker, why do you say that?" she smiled, playfully skipping to my side, "Is there something ticking in your brain?"

I knew it, she's that type of person… I guess it can't be helped, when we're both just as clueless about what's going on or where we were, so this was to be expected.

"No reason in particular…." I sleepily yawned, heading to the classroom exit, "Right now I need to find out where we are…later..."

I trudged over to the door, my knees still a little weak, but was able to get over to there as Kotori skipped behind me. She continued making those stupid little noises as her boots clicked against the tile floor, only making her presence even more annoying to be around.

"Slow down silly~" she mischievously smiled, "You're the first person I've seen since I've woken up here…. Let's tag along!"

"No…" I immediately told her, "I'm fine….no ne-"

"Let's go Riri!" Kotori smiled, opening the door and dragging me along, "Let's go on an adventure!"

Begrudgingly and against my will, the tinkerer grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me along like some sort of pink ragdoll. My wrist felt as if they were about break from her surprisingly strong grip, but then again I don't have that much strength to begin with, so it's no surprise that any forceful touch would hurt or at the very least leave me with some sort of bruise.

"Where are we going?.." I groaned, trying to release my hand from her grip, "Get off of me, weirdo…"

"Don't be a sourpuss, Riri~" she pouted childishly, "Come on it'll be fun!"

As she continued chatting my ear off about stuff that didn't really seem to matter, I took the time to peruse the hallways as we passed by each one, if not for a brief moment. The halls were lit the same ugly shade of dark blue in each corridor, with black tiling on the floor. There were a few more classrooms that we passed by maybe about three or four more, a bathroom for boys and girls, a nurse's office, a cafeteria, two unmarked rooms with the signs obscured with black paint and the last room which was the gymnasium.

"Do you hear that, click click?" Kotori stopped, letting go of my wrist as we arrived to the gym's entrance, "Sounds like the voices of more people~"

"I guess so…" I shook my hand a few times, trying to get blood circulation flowing, "Oww….that really hurts...next time warn me before you almost rip off my hand."

"No time for that, Riri!" Kotori chimed, skipping playfully to the gym's double doors, pressing her ears against the door to hear more voices, before pushing them forcefully open, "Hideho! Anyone in here!"

I sweatdropped, adjusting my sleep mask around my neck, dusting off my gown and tapping my bunny slippers to make sure they didn't slip off my feet. I guess Kotori was someone who was bombastic and wanted her presence to be known; her personality was very vivacious but in a weirdly odd manner, as if she were putting on an act or something.

"Time to see what madness this potential dream entails…" I blinked sleepily, walking slowly into the gym, "Ugh….so bright!"

The room itself was huge. The walls were a plain grey color while the floor a light brown wooden pattern with a huge stage at the back of the room. A few basketball hoops could be seen on either side of the gym and there were some balls on metal racks to the sides.

I stepped one foot inside the gymnasium and instantly regretted my decision from the get go. The bright lights shining in the room blinded me as I closed my eyes shut, shielding them from the harsh rays and trying to find the nearest shaded area to hide under. Despite not being able to see where I was going, I heard some voices, some of them suddenly stopped talking as they heard the both of us enter the room.

"Have fun exploring Riri," Kotori giggled, as her heels skipped against the floor.

I tried to feel for a nearby wall, waving my hands around like a bumbling moron who lost their glasses. I tried squinting a few times, but the light was so intense that it started hurting my eyes.

"Begone light…" I hissed, rubbing my eyes and placing my sleep mask over my eyes.

"Ugh….this sucks…" I grumbled, as felt something solid in front of me, "Oh...is this a wall?"

I kept touching whatever it was that I was feeling and felt a slight nudge, almost as if I touched something soft.

"Oh is this...rubber foam or something?" I pondered, feeling more of the surface.

"Excuse me…" mumbled a quiet voice, "Can you please stop that…"

I let go of the squishy surface, took off my sleep mask and opened my eyes slowly to see that I was next to something, or more specifically someone.

The voice belonged to the boy that stood in front of me, but it sounded very melancholic and soft spoken in tone, almost like a mouse. As I blinked a few more times, I suddenly realized that I was not touching a wall, but his body.

The look on his face was that of nervous embarrassment, his face turning red in the process as he felt somewhat violated.

"Oh….sorry my bad...didn't see you there," I said half heartedly, "I'm still half asleep…pardon me..."

The boy then began mumbling something under his breath, almost as if he were insulting me or something. Then again I did touch him without his consent, so I guess polite introductions aren't going to smooth things over anytime soon.

"...Leave me alone…." the boy mumbled out.

"Oh..okay.." I sleepily blinked, "I said sorry…"

I took a few steps back giving him his personal space, yawned some more and brushed back some messy strands of hair from my face. This time my eyes fully adjusted to the bright lighting of the gym as I got a better look at the mumbler in question.

He had dark brown hair that looked slightly messy and was cut short, ending at his neckline. His grey eyes looked almost sunken into the sockets while his skin was almost pale white as if he stayed indoors his entire life. He had a slightly chubby physique, which explains the squishiness I felt, but he wasn't overweight with a round face and calluses on the palms of his hands. I noticed a few creme colored bandages on his left ring finger, another one on his right index finger and one more on his right pinky finger; he must be some kind of writer judging from the calluses and bandages maybe from paper cuts, but I could be wrong.

A very average looking appearance, nothing much really stood out about him, not even his outfit, which only solidified his overall plain look.

He wore a light brown short sleeved dress shirt buttoned all the way up, a grey and green striped bow tie tied around his collar, a green and black quilted diamond patterned sweater vest over his shirt, which was tucked into his dark blue jeans with a black belt buckled around his waist with a silver buckle. Black and brown running shoes with black socks adorned his feet while a pair of black round framed glasses rested on his face. Two yellow pencils and a black ink pen stood inside his dress shirt pocket while a magnifying glass could be seen sticking out of his left pants pocket, whereas in the right pocket there was a bronze chain resting on his pants thigh, attached to his belt straps. A white japanese kanji bracelet in black letters read 'History' on his left wrist.

He had a very nerdy aesthetic and his fashion sense was a bit weird, but then again it's more normal compared to the tinkerer's getup. I mean, I'm no expert on fashion, but a dress shirt and jeans felt like a fashion no no, but who cares about what I think.

"It was a misunderstanding..." I apologized sleepily, "I'm sorry I didn't see you there...umm…"

The smart looking boy didn't really turn to face me, more so looked to the side and mumbled out a few words as he pushed up his glasses. His entire face was red and his overall stance was shaky.

"Aloysius Brighton…" he mumbled out softly, "...Ultimate Historian."

 **ALOYSIUS BRIGHTON - ULTIMATE HISTORIAN**

"Nice to meet you…." I greeted him with an indifferent look, "Sorry about groping you..…"

Aloysius blushed tomato red, his mouth twitching and playing with his bowtie. He must be nervous, not that I blame him. I guess aside from his painfully shy attitude, he's so far one of the sanest people I've met so far, even though he hasn't said much of anything.

"Bye…." he mumbled out.

The historian nodded silently and walked over to a corner of the gym, probably trying to avoid as much people as possible. I can relate to him; I'd rather be in my bed sleeping cozily than humoring the thought of fraternizing with other people.

"Later…." I responded back.

"Where would be a good spot to nap…" I yawned loudly, searching around the room, "Where oh where…"

I saw a bunch of other people I didn't recognize, talking with each other, and sighed, the noise starting to build up in the room as soon as Kotori joined the mix. I sauntered off to a corner in the gym, much like Aloysius except it seemed he came prepared as I saw him reading a book. He seemed quite intensely focused on what he was reading, almost as if the words were entrancing him to continue reading.

I sank to the floor and sat criss cross, trying to get back to sleep. I pulled my knees into my face as I shut my eyes for a few seconds.

"And who might you be pretty lady," said a new voice, "All alone, waiting for someone to sweep her off her feet?"

I opened my eyes, alerted by someone talking to me, and covered my head in my feet, not wanting to engage in anymore conversations. I ignored the voice as I pretended I didn't hear them.

"Would you be so kind as to show me your beauty, sleeping maiden?" the voice asked politely, sounding a bit more persuasive and handsome in tone, probably a guy's voice, almost similar to one of those reporters you hear over the radio in your car.

"Go away…" I told him, "I don't want to talk…."

"Whatever seems to be the matter?" he asked, his voice getting a bit closer, as I looked up from my seated position, "I can lend an ear if you want?"

What I came face to face with was a new face, a particularly pretty one at that, belonging to another boy.

His jet black hair was neatly swept to the sides and shone with some curly hair strands perched on his forehead, having a sleek look to it. His dark blue eyes were shaped like almonds and looked alluring to gaze at, almost hypnotic. He wasn't particularly athletic; he was slightly fit but had a skinny physique with not much muscle definition to him. His fair white skin looked moisturized and soft to the touch, with no blemishes or scars on his hands or wrists.

He looked like some handsome model, popped straight out of a magazine cover. He was almost too good to be true, in terms of looks. However, what accentuated his charming appearance was his attire.

He wore a white silk dress shirt with a black tie neatly tied around his neck with a light blue waistcoat buttoned all the way over the dress shirt. He wore a dark blue double breasted white buttoned coat but you could still see his shirt and tie. A silk white scarf rested loosely around his neck, not tied around close to his neck. He wore dark blue silk dress pants that looked freshly pressed from the cleaners, black socks with black dress shoes polished to a mirrors shine to each shoe. He carried a brown cane with a blue gemstone inside of a silver lion heads' mouth and held it in his left hand. On his head, he wore a white fedora with a black ribbon tied around the hat's inner base, a silver diamond bracelet around his right wrist. To finalize his expensive look, there was a golden ring with a blue gemstone in the middle on his left middle finger.

This guy screams rich boy, in every sense of the word. I don't know why someone of his caliber would be caught talking with someone as hideous as me. He must be desperate for attention or something if he's ignored everyone else in the room. He'd be better off chatting with them than me.

"Why are you still here…." I looked at him with side eye, "...Leave me alone…"

"Well, you certainly have some bark," he chuckled, tapping his cane on the floor, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He extended a hand to me, almost as if he was waiting for me to shake it. I ignored his gesture and stood up from my spot, annoyed that he interrupted my alone time. I wanted to walk away, but knowing his type, he'd follow me around like Kotori, so I might as well give in.

"Likewise...I guess…" I shook my head and proceeded to walk away, "Bye…"

"But wait, you didn't tell me your name, little rose," he said disappointedly, lowering his hand.

"Little rose?" I turned back and gave him an unimpressed glare, "Nicknames….really?"

"Would you rather I call you that, prefer you not tell me your name?" he argued, tipping his fedora, "Ladies first."

As frustrating as he was, he made a valid point. I didn't need some random guy calling me by some cheesy nickname, so it'd be best to tell him, it's now or never.

"Ruri Makura…" I bluntly answered, "Happy now?…"

"What a lovely name, Ruri, you must have been blessed to have such a perfect name for a perfect angel as you," he winked at me with a slight glint in his eye.

Someone kill me now, this guy is so cheesy it makes me cringe.

"And you?" I asked sarcastically, wanting to know his name, "Who might you be Prince Charming?…"

"Oh forgive me, where are my manners," he fixed his scarf and adjusted his tie, "Pleasure to meet you proper, Katsuki Yukimoto, Ultimate Movie Director, at your service!"

 **KATSUKI YUKIMOTO - ULTIMATE MOVIE DIRECTOR**

Now his rich boy and flirtatious persona made sense, he was one of those elite hollywood hacks who think they can flaunt their star power around and woo just about any girl they take a fancy to. Someone get me away from this creep as fast as possible, I don't need any love or compliments in my life.

"Yeah...never heard of you.." I looked away, yawning once more, "Are we done here?…"

The movie director looked stunned to hear my answer, almost baffled and flabbergasted in fact. He regained his composure, fixed his fedora and cleared his throat.

"Well you might not have heard my name," he confidently bounced back, "But surely you must have heard about one of my movies?"

I continued looking at him, unimpressed, not sure what he was talking about in the slightest.

"Come on…. "Faraday Heights", "Murder In Buxleigh Manor" or my smash hit trilogy, "Objective Improbable?"

I put my finger to my lips, trying to rack my brain as to who this guy was, as he looked at me with anticipation, awaiting my answer with puppy dog eyes.

"I think I.. wait… never heard of you.." I sharply stated.

"Wah?!" he almost tripped over his footing after hearing my curt answer, "Well….clearly you must not go to the movies very often, if you've not heard of any of my films."

"I do go to the movies...Mr. Director," I retorted sarcastically, "However I tend to fall asleep during the opening credits, so there's that…"

Katsuki looked almost lost for words, it seems this was the first time he'd met someone who'd never heard of him before. Time for rich boy over here to learn some humility, not everyone is going to give rave reviews or be starstruck or even know his name. I'm not exactly some movie buff, in fact most people don't even bother looking at the credits once a movie ends.

"By the way…" I asked, "Do you know where we are?"

"No, not sure really," he thought about it, "I was in my apartment, on my way to the next movie set, when I got jumped on the streets."

So it's the same for him as well. I guess subtlety is not those shady guys' strong suit, if they're openly and randomly kidnapping people from out of nowhere.

"I have to go…" I waved to him, wanting to leave as soon as possible, before I got more unnecessary compliments.

"Sure thing…" he stood there, trying to shake off the negative mojo as he thought quietly to himself, "Later, little rose."

I gave him one more icy glare as he scampered off. I evaded him and seemed to have walked into another person.

"Come on...really?…" I rubbed my head, looking at who I bumped into.

This time it was another girl, she seemed to be annoyed as she rubbed her head as well, it seems we both headbutted each other by mistake. She stepped on my foot by accident, as I took off my slipper and rubbed it, seeing some slight redness.

"Watch it," she barked, "Open your eyes, or you'll be seeing flies."

"...What?" I asked, confused by what she just said, "Come again?"

"Hope the fool, got some stool," she continued, spouting off more random words, "Run up to the fuel and get the tool, are we cool?"

"Umm…" I mumbled, trying to piece out what she said.

"My lyrics are so fly like a butterfly," she said, "But sting sharper than a bee."

Ok, now, I really don't know what to say about this. I just met her and she's already talking gibberish. It sounded like rap lyrics, which makes sense, since most rap music nowadays was just mumbling illiterate ramblings or swears left and right. This girl however, didn't swear and words were a bit much to swallow in one serving. They flowed really well, but I still didn't know what she was talking about.

I might as well take in her appearance, while she was busy with her "rhymes".

She had auburn medium length hair tied up in a ponytail, her round eyes were colored a dark orange hue. She had a very skinny but slightly boyish physique, slightly androgynous if anything. She had fair white skin with a flatter chest than me, emphasizing her boyish look even more. I could see some calluses on the palms of her hands and, from what I can see, there was a small tattoo of a single black music note on her right arm.

She must be a tomboy of sorts, she's a bit too wild for my liking and very loud. Not only that but her outfit certainly fit the part for one if anything.

She wore a reddish yellow basketball shirt with a black bold number one on the back with her last name written above the number in capital bold black letters as well, over that she wore a dark mustard yellow hoodie with brown pockets left open so that I could see her shirt. On her legs were dark blue jeans with white and red converse sneakers with white lacing tied into a bow. Around her neck was a gold necklace with a black microphone pendant hanging from it while a dark blue and white baseball cap rested on her head with her ponytail sticking out the back hole and to complete her very boyish look, she wore one black fingerless glove on her right hand like some sort of old pop star from the 90's.

"I'm sorry...who are you?" I tilted my head, slightly irritated by her stepping on my foot and bumping into me.

The girl then took a few steps back, pushing up her hoodie and fixing her baseball cap. She looked as if she was going to start some crappy diss track about me, because I looked at her funny or something.

"Yeah yeah, ayo it's your girl, Nozomi Sakukaji," she said, almost singing it as she pulled out a recorder or sorts and pressed the button as beatboxing music played, "Straight out of the large dungeons of rap, better stop being wack, Ultimate Rapper is fighting back!"

 **NOZOMI SAKUKAJI - ULTIMATE RAPPER**

"I'm sorry...what did you say?" I asked, only making out her name and her talent.

"I'm so sorry if my raps don't slide into your ears like butter on toast," she remarked casually, but trying to sound tough for some reason.

"Ok…." I slowly walked away, not sure whether to be intimidated or sorry for her, "Well, you do that…."

"That's what's up," she crossed her arms and posed with a few peace signs, "Can you walk the walk or are you all just talk?"

Nozomi seemed rather pleasant...if not a bit over the top and a bit too aggressive. I mean I'm not the most intellectual about rap, but she looks and breathes like a stereotypical female rapper. All the power to her I suppose, I don't have a single musical bone in my body.

"I guess walk the walk?" I shrugged, not sure how to respond back to her, "I'm Ruri Makura…."

"Well Ruri, princess of pink," the rapper continued to gesture some more, her recorder playing some more hip hop music, "Are you a pretty face or do you just stink?"

Was she insulting me? Well, she's not wrong there, I may have a cute look, but my personality stinks very much. Still, she's a rather boisterous individual and didn't sugarcoat her words at all. As she continued, the recorder then suddenly switched to jazz music, throwing off the catchy beat of her lyrics.

"Oh man, this is wack," she fiddled with the recorder, "Note to self, wipe the memory from this device….I don't need this."

I stood there, feeling slightly embarrassed for her, not knowing how to continue the conversation without forcing something awkward or irritating her.

"Well….bye…" I slowly walked away from her, "See you later….Nozomi.."

"Peace out homie," she nodded, taking off her recorder and mashing the buttons to get it to work after dropping it on the floor.

"Stupid thing...work.." she kept mashing the buttons as she walked off.

I only met four other people so far and I still had more questions rather than conclusive answers. I still had no idea where I was, who those men in black were and why they gathered me and these other people here in what looks to be some sort of abandoned school. I was amazed at how this school was still functioning, given the fact it was practically deserted and there seemed to be no adult in sight from what I could tell. It was all too suspicious for my liking, as if this was all planned or something.

"Excuse me, miss," said a very deep voice, "Do you perhaps know where we are?"

I turned to my side and saw someone approach me, another boy, but I almost confused him for an older man based off of his very deep voice, almost regal in tone. It kind of caught me off guard, given my thoughts on there being no other adults in here. Then again, from looking at him, that wasn't a stretch.

His silvery gray hair was brushed back and voluminous, resembling that of a lion's mane, ending at his neckline with a few strands perched on his forehead. His eyes were furrowed and stern-looking as their bright red shade made him look almost menacing upon first glance. His light brown skin had a few rough patches from what I could make out and he had a very slender but fit body type, only adding to that opposing figure.

He was very well groomed, almost resembling some sort of lion or wolf from how he styled his hair. It was almost comical in a sense, but from the grave look on his face, he meant business and his outfit highlighted that fact immensely.

He wore a white dress shirt with a red tie, a dark grey waistcoat with red buttons buttoned all the way, a silvery gray blazer jacket left open with black pinstripes on the design, dark grey dress pants with polished brown dress shoes that shone in the light and black socks. He wore a black string necklace tied around his neck with a red ruby tiger tooth pendant hanging from his neck, a shiny silver wristwatch on his left wrist and a rose gold nameplate bracelet with some letter initials etched into the design. To further emphasize his very business casual look, he wore a light blue sash around his shoulders and waist with white words reading 'Vote For Your Future, Vote Fujiyama 20XX".

He must have been some type of government official or some businessman running for office, from what I gathered. Either he supported who he was voting for or he was the man in question whose last name was on the sash.

"Um...are you talking to me?" I asked him, pushing back some strands of hair.

"That is correct," he nodded, talking rather briefly with a slight stoic tone, "It has come to my attention that we seem to be in some sort of predicament."

Jeez, what took you so long to realize that Captain Obvious. Maybe all the gel used to style his hair has gone to his head.

"And you are?" I asked the well dressed man, "And why are you talking so formally?"

He cleared his throat, fixing his sash and extending his hand out for a handshake. His face was rather indifferent but a sense of importance radiated from his overall stance and his aura was very professional in every sense of the word.

"Greetings citizen," he exclaimed proudly, still sounding a tad robotic, "Garou Fujiyama, Ultimate Politician, here to make your generation's future a brighter one."

 **GAROU FUJIYAMA - ULTIMATE POLITICIAN**

"Oh...you're a politician?" I wondered, "...Don't you have to be over 25 or something to become one?"

He gave me a concerned look, but maintained his stone-faced expression.

"Yes, you would be right," he eloquently explained, "However, my family has a lot of connections, I come from a very distinguished line of government officials and bureaucrats, all of whom recommended I become one as soon as possible from a young age."

"Oh...that's interesting.." I noted.

Well he's certainly straightforward with his intentions. They say that most politicians are actual demons and that they are a bunch of old men in a board rooms discussing foreign and internal policies, who knew they hired fresh faces like him to join the ranks. Although he looks a bit old to be a teenager, maybe he's younger than he looks.

"And if you're wondering," he seemed to notice my curious stare, "I am under the age of twenty and am eighteen if you must know, I often get that look a lot."

"Fair enough," I shrugged, a bit impressed but not amazed, "I'm Ruri Makura, unlike some other people here, you've most likely never heard of me…"

I took the politician's hand and shook it, noting that he had a very firm grip. I could feel the smoothness of his handshake and his hand was unbelievably soft and warm to the touch almost made me want to shake it some more.

"I heard that inventor girl say you had a talent," he raised an eyebrow, "Mattress Tester was it?"

"Oh...you heard about that…" I remarked, surprised for a second, letting go of his hand and fidgeting in place, "...Not exactly productive for society….unlike yours.."

"Nonsense, Ms. Makura!" he boomed loudly, making me jump in place, "Even if you do not possess a hefty talent as others, testing mattresses does have its own benefit to our society."

"Really?….then enlighten me.. Mr. Politician," I crossed my arms and waited for him to explain, "Can you persuade me otherwise?…"

He straightened his tie, cleared his throat and fixed his sash. It seemed he was preparing himself to speak, so this ought to be interesting.

"It's quite fundamental when you think about it," he went on, "The mattresses you test are purchased by customers, who in turn support the economy, thus when they sleep on said mattress, their bodies are well rested and in turn they are more energized to continue working," he elegantly explained, "This cycle repeats and the economy flourishes, simple as that."

"Wow….you make even my lame talent seem promising…" I sighed despondently, "That's impressive…"

"I believe that everyone in society has a purpose, even those who don't have any aspirations or idea of their future," he put his hand over his chest, "I swear as your next Prime Minister, I will see to it that people like you are respected and are secured positions in the new age of my future government."

On top of being a bit too formal, he's quite earnest about his goals, which is something you don't see too often, especially regarding politicians. Then again, people like him these days sugarcoat and honey their words with speeches like that, so it's to be expected. Then he goes on to boast more about his accomplishments and then never make due with his promises once he gets appointed into office. I can bet money on that, I'm that confident. Then again the government does pay for my medication, so I can't really judge the entire process all that much. In comparison, his talent and mine were like comparing apples and oranges.

"I guess so…" I rubbed my shoulders, a bit surprised, "I'm not really sure what to say…"

"No need, Ms. Makura," he acknowledged with a stoic smile, "It's what a good leader should always strive to do, and that is to maintain good relations with the general public and assuage their concerns."

I can say this, Garou is very polite and a man for words. However I found it hard to believe that someone as stiff and indifferent as him could have garnered any public morale or support, just from conversing with him alone. It's probably his family's connections and immense wealth doing all the talking for him, I guess. Money does make the world go around in every society.

"I suppose..." I waved to him, "Well thanks...Garou…"

"It was my pleasure," he nodded affirmingly.

"See you later…" I waved.

"Farewell," he adjusted his sash, still looking stoic and walking off to find out more about where he was.

I have to say, this was the most motley group of people I've ever met in one room. Everyone so far has such a wide range of personalities and mannerisms to them that I almost feel out of place in comparison, it was almost daunting. Unless you count my pink hair and eyes, then I was pretty average and forgettable in this sea of personality and attitudes.

I didn't really care to associate with these kinds of people to begin with, so it's no surprise I was an awkward mess half the time. It felt so strange as well, I'd never met these people before, yet I feel strangely comfortable around them. I don't know, maybe I'm still tired from all the excitement around me or I'm still in a dream, who knows.

"G-Give it b-back," whimpered a meek sounding voice, "I k-know you have it.."

"How do you know I took it?" retorted a male voice, "For all I know, you could've dropped it somewhere on accident."

"I-I know it w-w-was you…" the sheepish voice stuttered, "I h-had my p-p-paper fan when I g-got here… and you w-were the last p-person I talked t-to."

"Oh, is that so," the male voice snickered, "Maybe I have it, maybe I don't."

I looked around and saw two people arguing, they were a boy and a girl. It seemed the girl was flustered with the boy's antics, while he had a confidently smug smirk on his face, almost mocking her in a sense

"How about we retrace your steps," he replied, "Maybe that'll help."

"O-Oh...I guess s-so," she responded back.

While they continued discussing her lost item, I stood from afar and took in their appearances.

The timid girl had bright orange hair tied into a messy bun with some curly strands framing her face, her hazel colored eyes looked droopy, giving her a slightly sad expression. She had plump, slightly rosy cheeks and a slender and demure physique with a decent sized chest. She sported a more natural beauty look with her butterfly eyelashes fluttering up and down. She also had soft looking facial features that complimented her slightly pale skin.

She gave off a very simple yet elegant vibe, an almost effortless style accompanied by her natural looks. However her outfit was what stood out the most, giving me a different impression of her entirely.

She wore a light orange and white ombre traditional furisode with red and pink flowers scattered throughout the design. A bright yellow obi sash was tied around her waist with a red ribbon around her waist to keep it secure. She wore white socks with wooden traditional sandals like something from those kabuki plays I saw on TV. To add to her traditional getup, there were two white chopsticks stuck into the hair bun on her left side and, attached to the chopsticks, were light pink artificial sakura hair pins that hung off to the side.

From her overall outfit, she must have been someone who lived in the village or lived in some outskirts traditional seaside town somewhere. Not sure which prefecture she was from, but who am I to say. I barely leave my home, let alone know how many prefectures there are, so it's beyond my knowledge.

The guy, on the other hand, had a very toned down and almost dark choice in clothing, that contrasted heavily with the warm colors of our frustrated maiden.

His hair was short, rough, curly and a dark purple color. He had sharp purple eyes and a diagonal scar running across his mouth. He had an athletic fit physique, from what I could see, with abs and some muscle definition in his arms. His fair white skin was covered with scratches on his arms and a few scars on his legs, but that was what I could see at the time.

His rough exterior gave me some sort of bad boy type of impression. He looked as though, if you crossed him, he wasn't afraid to cut you or hurt you to get his way. His outfit was certainly something, to say the least; it only made me more cautious of him.

He wore a sleeveless dark purple shirt underneath a baggy, slightly torn, grey trench coat with big pockets. A black bandana with white markings written on it was wrapped tightly around his forehead. He wore short baggy camo pants with multiple pockets, black worn boots on his feet, a light purple scarf wrapped around his neck with some black etchings on the ends. I also spied a pocket knife attached to a silver chain around his neck with the pocket knife visible underneath the scarf and a pair of dirty grey wrap bandages tied around his hands, some of which were criss crossed while others hung from his forearms. I could also see a bag of coins in his right overcoat pocket.

His suspicious looking attire only made him less approachable the more I looked at him. He's definitely someone I shouldn't be around and should keep my distance from. However tempted I was, I chose not to intervene in their scuffle. That is until I noticed something sticking out of the rough-looking guy's coat pocket. I got a bit closer and noticed it was a pink paper fan of sorts, with the most beautiful design etched onto the fan part.

"Oh boy…." I sighed, rubbing my temples, as my conscience was nagging me to go over and help her, "All their bickering is noisy...might as well quell it."

"W-Where is it?.." the girl looked around the gym.

"Not sure, let's look outside," the guy thought, pretending to not know where the item in question was.

"Is this what you're looking for?…" I pulled the fan out of his pocket and presented it to the girl.

"Hey!" the guy growled, "I was going to give it back to her later!"

"Uh huh…" I rolled my eyes, "Sure you were…"

"Geez, way to take the fun out of it," the guy sighed, "I just wanted to tease her, no harm no foul."

"T-That was v-very mean…" the girl sniffled as I gave her the fan back, "T-Thank you…"

"It's no big deal.." I shrugged, turning my back to them and walking away, "Later..."

"W-Wait…" the nervous girl cried, "I-I didn't g-get your name.."

"Ruri Makura…that all," I sighed, yawning some more, feeling as if I was going to get roped into another conversation.

"I c-can't t-thank you e-enough, Ruri.." the girl bowed shakily, "I-I'm M-Meisa H-H-Hayakawa, Ultimate S-Shrine M-Maiden, n-n-nice to m-meet you.."

 **MEISA HAYAKAWA - ULTIMATE SHRINE MAIDEN**

"Sure…" I simply said, feeling slightly awkward as the girl kept her head bent over as she fumbled around, placing the paper fan open and inserting it inside her messy hair bun.

I noticed the design on the paper fan was that of white sakura petals scattered throughout with some dark pink flowers on the left side. A really pretty fan, almost matching my clothing.

"Come on, it's not like I was actually going to keep it," the boy appeared from behind her sneakily, "It's not worth that much money either way."

Meisa jumped, almost falling on her butt as she quivered and shook like a leaf. I guess she was the anxious and jumpy type, if someone talking from behind her riled her up that easily.

"Didn't your mother tell you it's rude to steal things from others?…" I sleepily remarked, putting him in his place.

"Very funny," he scoffed, fixing his trench coat, "Whatever, I didn't expect her to cry over a cheap paper fan, I just wanted to play a harmless little prank is all."

"Oh really?…" I looked at him in disbelief, "I found it quite troublesome…taking advantage of someone weaker…."

"Hey hey, don't go judging me for wanting to joke around," he said, trying to defend himself, "I take my work very seriously, if you must know."

I glared at him tiredly, not amused by his attitude as I brushed him off. If he was trying to brush off his actions as a joke, then it's not working.

"Oh that's right, I didn't introduce myself," he smiled, trying to deflect some blame using his "charm" and making a confident smile, "Name's Saiji Ogata, Ultimate Thief, charmed I'm sure."

 **SAIJI OGATA - ULTIMATE THIEF**

A thief...seriously? Who the heck let someone like him in here, more specifically, why is he an "Ultimate Thief", compared to everyone else's talents, isn't his...illegal? This only gave me more questions than answers.

"So you're a glorified criminal…" I deduced, not beating around the bush, "Good for you, I guess…"

"Hey, I'm no criminal," he retorted, "I like to think of myself as a "jack of all trades" or a "selectively exclusive merchant," just so happens that I don't keep all the money I take, for your information."

"And that makes that better how?" I stared at him, rolling my eyes, watching Meisa fumble around trying to neaten up her appearance.

"You didn't let me finish," he looked at me smugly, "I donate most of the money I get to poorer and less fortunate people."

"So what are you then….some twisted version of Robin Hood or something?" I asked, clearly interested in how he will try to justify his actions even more.

"I guess you can say that," he winked, "I only take from people who deserve it by the way, I don't steal from people indiscriminately, so I guess you could say I'm fighting for a noble cause but on the wrong side of the law."

I will give Saiji this, he's full of cunning excuses, but he sure is a persistent talker. He kept babbling and trying to lessen the damage he caused by talking more about his "heroic" deeds, like it was something to be proud of.

"I often like to donate to charities mostly, even orphanages," he commented, giving a thumbs up, "So it kind of balances itself out in the end."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night…." I shrugged at the thief, "Why don't you two kiss and makeup first before anything else…"

Meisa and Saiji looked at each other, the shrine maiden was blushing red and the thief was trying to cover up his face with his scarf. It seemed they were completely baffled for words as moments earlier they were fighting over a fan. Now they were completely lost on what to talk about.

Meisa gave him a worried look and walked off, a bit clumsily as Saiji watched her leave from a distance. The shrine maiden then nearly tripped, before the thief managed to swiftly save her in time.

I guess they were interesting to say the least, not really what I was expecting, but it was something. She was very meek but seemed to be an alright girl, whereas he may be a total ass, but it doesn't look like he's completely heartless.

At this point, I just hope I don't bump into any more people. I really want to take a nap soon, all this wild excitement is making kind of nauseous.

I wonder what's going to happen next, it better not blow up in my face...

* * *

 _ **To be continued in Part 2…**_

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello hello lovely people, how are you all, I hope you're all doing well.

Here is the first part of character intros for my original AU story, I hope it's ok. Some intros were a bit hard to do, but I hope you liked the characters introduced so far. It was so much fun writing these interactions and I can't wait to do the next set in the final character intro part.

I know I should be working on my other three stories, but as of right now, I want to get these character intros for this story out of the way first, before I actually get back into the groove of writing for my main saga. I hope this is okay, I just wanted to shake things up a bit and try something new once a while and not get fatigued from writing the same chapter over and over again.

If you guys spot any OC you like so far, I'm interested to see what you guys think in either the reviews or the PM's. I love to hear what you guys think and where I can improve in terms of making likable OC. I hope my original cast is vibrant enough and the next set of intros is just as decent like this first batch.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I had fun making it and I can't wait to get started on the next part. If you have anything you'd like to ask me, feel free to let me know in the PM's.

I hope you all have a great day, night, holiday or whatever it is your celebrating and I will see you all in the next part or whenever I decide to update next.

But for now, happy reading my fellow readers, authors and otaku alike, I will see you all later.

Bye bye!


	3. NS: Character Intros Pt 2

**Editor: Crimson Spider Lily**

* * *

I think it's safe to say that the seven other people I've met so far in this place has been quite the tale of all tales. I wouldn't say it's been a terrible one, but it seemed like it was only getting started. I saw that there were even more people that I didn't recognize in the crowd that seemed to be talking to each other merrily, as if none of them cared that they were kidnapped or brought here mysteriously.

"Ugh…" I moaned, clearly frustrated that there were more people left to meet, "...Eww, people…"

I perused the crowd some more and noticed two people talking with each other casually. From the way they got along, it seemed they might have known each other beforehand or became fast friends instantly, the latter seeming more likely. The two people, a boy and a girl, seemed to have hit it off successfully in terms of conversation as the girl smiled and nodded to what the guy said while he laughed and chatted without a care in the world with somebody he'd never met before.

She had long loose curly dark red, voluminous hair, beautifully styled and ending at her shoulders with a left-parted fringe on her forehead. Her dark brown eyes had a sultry look and were almond shaped with her peachy white skin glowing with what looks like a fake tan and she had a decent sized chest. She wore black cat eye eyeliner with red blush on her cheeks. She had a demure skinny physique, with some slight curves to her figure and neatly trimmed fingernails painted in a clear white varnish, giving them a polished look.

She was really beautiful, almost at fashion model level of stunning. It's amazing how perfect she looked, almost as if she jumped straight out of one of those women's magazines about beauty, fashion and dating tips. I would say I was breathless just staring at her, but I couldn't really care less, all the more power to her, I guess. In terms of her outfit, it was equally as marvellous highlighting her beauty model appearance even more.

She wore a bodycon rouge red dress which exposed a bit of cleavage and it ended at her thighs near her knees. Black ankle strap heels on her feet were added to the outfit, giving off a very mature feminine vibe to her. She wore a diamond necklace with a crystal pendant hanging around her neck that sparkled in the gym lighting, on her right wrist was a diamond studded bracelet with a ruby gem in the middle and a green sewing pincushion on her left wrist with some pins sticking inside of it and the final touch to complete her expensive looking fashion, a designer black handbag was hanging around her left shoulder. It was probably used to hold all her lady essentials, such as her makeup, her phone, her purse wallet, etc.

Knowing someone like her was here, only made me less comfortable being in her presence. Compared to half of the girls I've met here, I was an ugly duckling; they all looked ten times better than me in every way, shape and form. I felt out of place and unwarranted, like a fish out of water who walked out of the house with bed head and her pajamas.

However the guy standing next to her didn't seemed at all phased by her magnificent aura. He was still conversing with her normally, completely unaware of if he was talking to some kind of celebrity fashion model or something.

He had short, dark green, wavy hair with his fringe pushed back with some sort of hair clip while his eyes were a lime green shade, almost citrusy, like a fruit. He was very slender for a guy, with little muscle mass to him. His complexion was a mix of barely tan, bordering on white, kind of like some fair hybrid skin tone of sorts, with zero blemishes or marks on his skin, at least from what I could see. His fingernails were neatly trimmed and were painted in bold, rainbow-esque colors; one nail was painted red, the other yellow, then orange, blue, green, purple, pink and so on and so forth with the thumb nails having a combination of all the colors in a striped pattern.

He had a very vibrantly colorful look, almost as if a rainbow threw up all over him and this was the end result of that kaleidoscopic diarrhea. He definitely stood out of a crowd and his clothes really drove that message home and matched the theming of his outfit to a T.

He wore a light green long sleeved shirt with apples, bananas, cherries, oranges, grapes blueberries and a whole bunch of other fruit on the shirt's design; like one giant fruit salad. He wore a dark green scarf around his neck with a brown stripe pattern etched into the design, with dark blue jeans and dark brown sandals on his feet, only showing his toes. There was a rainbow pear shaped hair clip fashioned into his fringe, keeping some strands from getting into his face. On his wrists, he wore a few rainbow silly rubber bands on his left wrist and a gold bracelet with a green apple emblem on the front on his right wrist to finish off his fruity look.

What the heck is his outfit? It's so over the top and weird, but at the same time, it suited him really well. I mean all the more power to him, if he wanted to look like he ran through a meadow of flowers and fruit, then who am I to judge. It did give me a slight headache from how bright the contrasting colors clashed with each other, making me slightly dizzy in the process.

"What a fruitcake..." I mumbled to myself, "How bizarre…"

"Not as bizarre as that bedroom gown," the fruity guy remarked, noticing me pass by, "Did you get dressed half asleep or something?"

It seems the fruity guy overheard me talking to myself, me and my big mouth. I couldn't help it, honestly, I'm a very opinionated person, for better or for worse.

"Umm…excuse me?" I approached him, still a bit taken aback by his gaudy outfit, "What's wrong with my outfit exactly, care to explain?"

"Oh honey!" the boy gestured, pushing back his scarf, "Where do I even begin."

The fruity boy analyzed me from top to bottom, almost like some kind of human scanner. His eyes looking up and down my body, like some perverted freak who wanted to undress me with his mind.

"I'd rate your outfit," he thought about it for a minute, "A four out of ten. The dress is cute, but the slippers really deteriorate the half asleep effect you're going for."

"Pardon me?" I tilted my head, even more puzzled, "I'm sorry if my fashion "sense" doesn't meet your expectations…..not my fault I was kidnapped wearing this…"

"You could've at least washed your hair," he looks at my long pink hair, "It's cute, but very child-"

"Zak, lay off and be nice, okay?" the fashionista girl, he was talking with, held him back, "Pardon him, he was just a bit "surprised" when he saw your clothes is all, he didn't mean any harm."

"Umm...sorry?" I reproached, feeling a bit offended by his remarks, "I'm sorry if I didn't come dressed to impress while I was being kidnapped, unlike you two…."

The girl sighed worriedly, it seemed she didn't want to deal with this type of trouble. Meanwhile the fruity guy was more than happy to spill some tea, code for talk more crap about me, but held back knowing that this argument was petty and immature.

"And who might you two be?" I asked, diverting the topic of conversation, "I've never seen you before….."

"Oh that's right," the girl dusted off her bodycon dress, adjusting her handbag around her shoulder and brushing back some of her luscious hair, "I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Haruhi Uchimiya, Ultimate Fashion Consultant, nice to meet you."

 **HARUHI UCHIMIYA - ULTIMATE FASHION CONSULTANT**

Well, she's very polite, she even went so far as to apologize for her friend's out of place behavior. Thank up above, there was someone sane around here. I was sort of right about her being someone in the fashion or modeling industry, but I wasn't expecting her to be a fashion consultant. She looked more like a runway model, so she could've have fooled me.

"My name's Ruri Makura…" I told her, not wanting to tell her the "talent" I was given.

"It's very nice to meet you Ruri," she greeted, "If your clothes ever need stitching, just let me know."

"Okay...thanks I guess...who's the oversized fruit you were talking to?…" I motioned over to the fruity guy she was talking to, "I heard you call him "Zak" earlier…."

Before the fashion consultant could respond, the flamboyantly dressed boy interrupted her. He stood in front of her, teased some of his wavy hair and flipped his scarf tail back behind him. It seemed he wanted to address me personally.

"You're just too adorable for words," the boy cooed coyly, giggling playfully, "Pardon me, I tend to get a bit feisty when someone insults or judges me without getting to know me, no biggie!"

He's certainly expressive, in terms of both outfit and how he carried himself. He came off more carefree from the way he jumped from judging me to talking to me naturally, along with that he made a whole bunch of hand gestures. I admire his ability to bounce back effortlessly, it's something to keep note of next time I talk to him.

"But anyways, I'm Zakuro Sakuranbo!" he happily exclaimed, "You can call me Zak, Zackie or King of Fruits, it doesn't matter! As the Ultimate Pomologist, I'm used to being called all sorts of names!"

 **ZAKURO SAKURANBO - ULTIMATE POMOLOGIST**

"Pomologist?" I tilted my head in confusion, "Never heard of it…."

"I don't blame you, sweetie," Zak giggled, "It's a very obscure and niche talent, for sure!"

"I find it quite fascinating, almost impressive," Haruhi interjected, "I know a lot of people in the fashion world, but I've never once met someone like him, compared to other consultants, he's a very candid man and isn't afraid to openly talk about his distaste for certain trends."

"Oh stop it, you tease," he chuckled, twisting his silly bands, "Only my boyfriend gets to do that, teehee~"

"You're too modest, Zak," she smiled, "If you weren't a pomologist, you could easily be a fashion consultant like me, I know some people."

"A generous offer," he remarked, "However, I like the taste of a simple fruity life, I don't need all that extra drama."

I watched the two talk back and forth casually, it seems the two of them almost forgot I was standing next to them. I felt like the third wheel in some weird romantic comedy skit, with how much they ignored me.

I can say this for certain, Zak was one of the most energetic people I've ever met, albeit in a strangely stereotypical way for someone like him. I'm not one to judge, but he might want to tone it down a bit for everyone else's sake, that kind of behavior can get him into trouble, especially in this society.

"Ok….well it was nice meeting you two…" I waved awkwardly, wanting to leave as soon as possible, "Later…"

"Smell ya later hon~" Zak blew a kiss and waved back.

"It was nice meeting you, Ruri," Haruhi smiled warmly.

As soon as I exited the conversation, they went back to conversing like they were before. It's as if they forgot that they were kidnapped and chatted like it was any other day. It's almost scary in a sense. Haruhi touched his scarf and felt the soft looking fabric while he complimented her on her hairstyle. Those two were like two peas in a pod, I guess it's good they found some solace in their mysterious and weird circumstances.

"Out of my way, loser!" a voice shouted, with someone pushing me sharply to the side as I thankfully hit one of the padded walls.

"Ouch…ow..." I rubbed my back and fell to the floor, "Watch where you're going, you could have hurt someone…"

I checked my back, seeing some red marks on my skin, as the person who was rushing to whatever it was they were rushing to came over to me. The person, another girl, walked over to me, she seemed a bit too excited in a sense.

"It's not my fault, you were in my way," she snidely snapped back, "Maybe you should attach some fucking headlights to your person. If you did, maybe next time I would actually notice."

I managed to get back to my knees as she stood over me holding back some stifled laughter. It seemed she was larger in size like Aloysius, judging from how wide her shadow loomed over me as I was on the floor. I looked up to see who she was, however she looked different compared to everyone else.

She had short chestnut blonde hair that was styled in a wavy bob with curled ends and a parted fringe sweeping to the right, a hairstyle that actually suited her look. She had dark brown eyes, light brown skin that didn't look tan, but was all natural. I will say that she was large, but not obese, she was very curvaceous and sported a plus size figure with a very ample bosom. She wore pale nude lip gloss that shimmered on her lips and there were a few calluses on her hands and wrists maybe she's a writer or some artist, not sure really.

Judging from her appearance, she must have been a foreigner. It felt weird to see someone like her in Japan, considering there's not a lot of people that look like her, not that it was a bad thing, mind you. Her outfit really did express and show a lot of her figure though, which she didn't seem all that bothered with.

She wore a bright yellow top that highlighted her bosom and fit snugly around her plus size body, a black and yellow patterned knee length skirt that emphasized some of her curvy frame, a black cardigan over the yellow top to contrast; she reminded me of a bumblebee with the way she looked. She wore yellow flat shoes with black bows on the front straps on her feet, a maroon pencil in her left ear that she probably used to take notes along with the red notepad that was hanging on a string around her neck like a pendant. On her left wrist was a gold bracelet with a bumblebee emblem on the front, a plain brown wrist watch was around her right wrist and there was a black camera hanging around her body from her right shoulder and resting on her left hip.

She was like a giant sunflower, one that maybe took in a bit too much sunlight. Much like Zakuro and Kotori, she definitely stood out in the crowd, that's all I'll say.

"Ever heard of excuse me?…" I sleepily yawned.

"Oh sorry, my bad," she apologized, but sounding sarcastic as well, "Forgive me for not seeing you standing there like a moron, you're so pale I almost mistook you for a ghost."

Her words were very juvenile and bitchy in tone. It seemed she was being very genuine, but due to her sarcastic tone of voice it was hard to tell.

"Someone's sassy..." I rolled my eyes, "Is that how you introduce yourself to others?"

"Pfft, don't kid yourself, pinky!" the boisterous girl chuckled, "Wherever there's a story, I'm usually the first fucking one there, and you were just an obstacle that I happened to overcome, simple as shit!"

"Um...Okay?" I responded, confused by her rambling swears.

"But anyways, once I find a hot scoop, there's no stopping me," she cackled, "I'm Latifah Cartwright, and I'm the Ultimate Newspaper Editor!"

 **LATIFAH CARTWRIGHT - ULTIMATE NEWSPAPER EDITOR**

"Latifah?" I asked, having a hard time pronouncing her name due to it starting it with an L, "That's a weird name….you must not be Japanese then?"

"Did it take you that long to fucking figure out, genius?" she sighed, rolling her eyes, "Yes, I'm not from here, I was born in America, the home of the brave and all that bullshit."

"Oh, that makes sense…" I raised an eyebrow, "Most Americans generally are very loud and very passionate….well that's what I've seen from most American TV dramas."

"Pfft, that's just an exaggeration, sweet cheeks," she chuckled, "While you may see us as obnoxious and cantankerous, I'm very fortunate to have been born in a country that accepts people like me for me, loud and proud as I am!"

"Uhuh…" I crossed my arms, "Why'd they kick you out then, if they're so accepting?"

"Ooh someone's got some feistiness to her," she feigned smiled as her eye twitched slightly, "I didn't get kicked out, flattie, my family and I moved here after my father got a job promotion to work as the editor in chief of your country's most reputable newspaper."

"Ok…" I nodded, "But I will say you speak excellent Japanese."

"Thank you," she smiled, "It took me a long time, but I was able to learn the basic language within the five years I've been living here!"

I can sense a bit of variation in her dialect, so she really is a foreigner, which makes sense. I guess being away from home has made her feel a bit homesick and out of place. To be stuck in a country where people like her are instantly looked upon as representatives of her homeland, I have to say she's not setting the best example, newspaper editor or not.

"Good for you... I guess…" I shrugged indifferently, rubbing my shoulder, "Why did you push me earlier, where's the fire?"

"It's because of that," she pointed to near one of the basketball hoops, "Over there!"

As I turned to face what she was pointing at, I did a double take and noticed something balancing on top of the thin glass metal framed hoop. What shocked me the most was that someone was on top of the hoop, balancing effortlessly like a professional tightrope walker or something. How they climbed up there without anyone else noticing is beyond me.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Latifah asked the person on top of the hoop, "Are you okay, do you need help getting down or something!?"

I followed the newspaper editor's stare and saw the person on top of the hoop kneeling down, trying to maintain their balance. It was hard to tell who it was, but I knew it was a guy from his body type alone. And plus, I don't think most girls would go out of their way to do something as stupid as climb that…..then again with the people I've met so far, I'm ready to put my foot in my mouth at any given time.

"Oh there's no need to worry!" he boomed from near the ceiling, "I'm a professional, this is as easy as pie!"

"That's reassuring….I think?" I mumbled, while I kept on watching, waiting to see what he'd do next, "He's going to break his neck….or one of his arms…calling it…"

"Maybe," Latifah snorted, "That'd be funny as fuck."

The boy on top of the hoop then proceeded to jump carelessly off the side of the hoop. His arms posed similarly to taking a leap of faith, as he landed onto blue padded gym mats that magically appeared from out of nowhere. After his miraculous landing, he did a front roll and jumped back to a standing position without falling backwards.

"Fucking sick!" the newspaper editor was in awe, grabbing her camera and taking pictures of it all, "That's going in the papers one day!"

She snapped a few pics of the boy while I shielded my eyes from the bright flashing white light coming from it. Talk about flash mob, good thing I'm not a celebrity, I'd get a migraine just from looking directly at the lens.

"So what'd you guys think?" the boy approached us, smiling dumbly and giving two thumbs up, "Pretty cool right?"

I have to say, his sheer confidence was outstanding and that's nothing compared to what he looked like. Now that he was back on ground floor, I took in his appearance.

He had short spiked up hair; dyed bright red, white and blue in a pattern almost similarly to the American flag, with bright blue eyes that had an icy fiery glisten. He had light tan skin with an incredibly athletic physique with toned muscles and prominent abs from what I could see. His skin looked slightly rough, probably as a result of doing crazy stunts like that. He had sharp facial features accentuating his rugged physique, his black eyebrows contrasting with his brightly colored hair and a scar was over his right eyebrow leaving a space in between with skin and parts of the brow hair sliced in half.

He's probably some type of stuntman or professional athlete, if he's able to do acts like that without leaving a scratch on his person or breaking a sweat. It was very impressive, I have to give him that, and his outfit only emphasized his outgoing and daring personality even more.

He wore a bright light blue t-shirt with white shooting stars set on fire with an orange blaze on the front along with a black leather jacket left unzipped over his shirt. He wore dark red jeans with some tears around the knees, probably from his constant death defying antics. On his feet were shiny steel blue high tops with black lacings and red letters on the sides that were hard to make out, as they were written in a messy ink lettering. A pair of black sunglasses was hanging from his shirt collar and to finalize his look a red and white wristband with 'Raging Devil' written in messy black japanese kanjis was wrapped around his left wrist.

He reminded me of one of those professional stunt doubles I saw on TV, who replace actors to do daring stunts. I'm not sure if I remember who he reminded me of, but I can say this for certain, his overall get up was very out there, much like his daring stunts and his gymnastic-like landing.

"Well, aside from the potential of breaking any of your arms or legs…..it was good, I guess?" I shrugged giving him a stoic answer, "Could have been better…"

"Are you serious?!" he shouted, for no reason, popping my ears in the process, "I thought that was totally bomb! It was so worth it and I even managed to stick the landing, come on, give me some credit!"

"That was pretty amazing," Latifah added, nodding her head in agreement, "Could have used a bit more pazazz if you ask me, maybe some special effects."

"Oh... ok!" the daring boy thought to himself, "Note to self, add more pazazz, maybe some fire effects or confetti...that always works every time."

Well at least his priorities are in check I suppose. He's either stupid, crazy or dumb, maybe all three, who knows. I don't have the guts to attempt something as dangerous as that, so at least he's brave, I'll give him that.

"Pardon me, but who are you?" I asked, interrupting his spotlight moment.

"Oh sorry, my bad!" he apologized, brushing up his hair, "Coming to you live and in person! He comes crashing down like a shooting star, the Raging Devil himself! Tatsuya Teruhashi, Ultimate Daredevil! Oh yeah!"

 **TATSUYA TERUHASHI - ULTIMATE DAREDEVIL**

"Daredevil…" I wondered, a bit surprised by his talent, "So you're like some kind of stuntman or professional risk taker?"

"Bingo!" Tatsuya chirped enthusiastically, winking at me, "Doing death defying stunts is my speciality and I live for the thrill of the moment! Pretty sweet gig, am I right?"

"I guess...good for you," I replied with a monotonous tone, "I've seen worse...what do you want me to say?"

Tatsuya put his hand to his chin, raised an eyebrow and looked at me, noticing my indifferent response. I mean he's very boisterous, but I guess it comes with the territory of always being the center of attention. His talent certainly is something else, it's not everyday you get to meet someone like him, someone so unafraid of danger and willing to do anything to amaze the crowd.

"How about I demonstrate another stunt for you?" he asked, thinking of another wacky idea, "This time I might be able to wow you even more, all I need is gasoline, large plastic hoops, skating ramps and my signature motorcycle…"

"I doubt we'd find something like that here…" Latifah sweat dropped, "Maybe another time, tiger."

"Aww man...well whatever!" he seemed dejected for a split second, but perked up instantly, "I promise you ladies, the next one will be spectacular! Something to talk about for decades to come!"

"I suppose so…" I sighed, stretching my arms out wide, "Well I have to go...bye you two."

"Wait! I haven't told you what the stunt entails!" Tatsuya begged, extending out his hand telling me to wait.

"You can tell me all about it for my story, Mr. Raging Devil," Latifah smirked mischievously, getting her notepad ready, "I can listen to you ramble all day, so tell me more."

As I left the daredevil and the newspaper editor to talk with each other, I waded through the crowd, trying to find another spot to rest and lay down in. It was so loud in the room, but something tells me it was about to get crazier, but it was just a hunch as I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I'm both tired and already fed up with talking to people, I just want to go to bed already.

I spotted a corner in the room near one of the padded walls and sat there, away from the crowd as I noticed some more people I'd met already, interacting with the others.

I spotted Aloysius still reading his book studiously, it must have been over an hour since he started reading that book, but from the intense focus he had, he looked almost close to finishing it or was savoring each word for some kind of symbolic meaning. I spotted Kotori talking with Nozomi and Saiji, more like they were listening to her babble about her inventions or what not. While Nozomi tuned her out and Saiji inched away slowly.

"So many people…" I looked around, feeling a bit sleepy as I yawned loudly, "It's getting a bit wild in here.."

"Tell me about it," remarked a voice, right next to me, "A lot of interesting pairings, that's for sure."

Alerted by the sudden voice, I turned to my side and saw someone I'd hadn't met yet. It was a girl watching the crowd, with a satisfied smile on their face and gazing at a few people in particular.

"Oh sorry...didn't see you there," I replied shocked by their sudden presence.

"It's alright," she reassured me, "I was busy people watching is all."

The girl turned to the side to face me and I got a better look at what she looked like. I was amazed by her appearance, she looked almost like an angel sent down from heaven or something.

She had straight wavy long golden blonde hair; with dark roots scattered throughout her luscious locks fashioned into a messy updo with two curly strands framing her face. She had dark green almond shaped eyes that looked like mini emeralds in the light. Her fair white moisturized skin looked similar to that of a porcelain doll's skin with slight color to her complexion, with freckles on her rosy red cheeks. She had a very large bosom with a svelte figure and hourglass like hips. Her nails were slightly long and french manicured while she sported black winged eyeliner with grey eyeshadow on her eyes, also wearing light pink lip gloss and a heart shaped birthmark spotted her right forearm.

She looked very cute; her appearance was very feminine, but unlike Haruhi, she gave off a more girly and innocent vibe. Definitely more popular girl vibes if anything, she looked like an angel herself, with her outfit only highlighting that aspect of her tenfold.

She wore a white calf-length vintage wedding dress fashioned with white lace around the chest area to form an off the shoulder look. Her white high heels had yellow ribbons on the ankle straps while a yellow ribbon sash was wrapped around her waist with a bright white bow behind her with its tails trailing behind her back. The thigh-high grey glitter stockings only brightening up her innocent image even more. She wore two pearl bracelets on both of her wrists each fashioned with yellow rose corsages like something you see girls wear at formal dances and, to top her look off, she had a black headband on her head with a transparent white veil attached, pushed back behind her head.

She reminded me of one of those models you see on the covers of bridal magazines and such, wearing those poofy white dresses. She was really pretty, her blonde hair and pure white clothing only making her glow more, a very radiant look with assets that complemented each other perfectly.

"People watching?" I asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing special…" she looked at the crowd again, "Just ogling the boys is all."

"Oh..is that so.." I raised an eyebrow, jokingly responding with, "Find anyone attractive yet?"

"Oh of course!" she smiled, blushing bright red, "Katsuki is such a gentleman, if not a bit too flirty and old-fashioned, Garou gives off a very mature vibe and is definitely daddy material, Zackie is already taken, Aloysius is so precious like a cuddly little teddy bear, Tatsuya's a wildcard that's for sure, but Saiji has that bad boy edge to him and that's really hot!"

The girl started getting a bit hot and bothered from describing most of the guys in the room. It seemed she really had a thing for ogling pretty boys when it mattered, I can tell from her passionate words. I won't deny that some of the boys in here are cute, but unlike our drooling bride to be, I'm not looking for love….nor do I wish to.

"Of course I haven't met all the boys here yet," she continued eyeing each one and spied two more, "But I'm in heaven...it's like a candy store full of eye candy!"

The girl squealed over her options as I looked at her with a confused face. At least she has her priorities straight. I guess her pure white angel vibe is only heightened by her boy crazy personality, figures she'd be that person.

"And you are?" I asked the giggling bridal model.

"Oh whoops, sorry about my little "habits", she winked, giggling playfully, "Nice to meet you, I'm Momoko Iesada, Ultimate Wedding Planner, if you're in need of my services, don't hesitate to ask~"

 **MOMOKO IESADA - ULTIMATE WEDDING PLANNER**

"Oh that's interesting…I'm Ruri Makura," I took note, not at all surprised, "So you arrange marriages and all that stuff?"

"Yes, I always go out of my way to make my brides and grooms happy," she nodded happily, "I want to make their weddings the biggest and the most special moment of their lives, just as I want my own wedding to be as well!"

She's very candid about her feelings, I guess when she's in that line of work for that long, she tends to get a bit jealous of her clients successful love life. From what I've seen, she seems perfectly happy staring from afar, maybe there's a good reason she's still single.

"You want to get married?" I asked, "A bit stereotypical in this day and age…"

"Not to me, Ruri," she protested, "Some may say it's a bit too traditional, but marriage is a sacred union and to me...it's a sign of everlasting bliss!"

"Uh...ok?" I shrugged indifferently, "Good for you.."

"To be swept off your feet by a handsome groom, smiling back at you and the both of us kissing as we depart for our honeymoon to some remote private island with umbrella drinks and endless nights of fun and kinky times! Simply wonderful! I'm sorry, just had a lovey-dovey moment, excuse me."

The wedding planner fangirled with ecstasy, twirling around her blonde hair and blushing tomato red, her entire demeanor being a mixture of constipation and contained excitement, almost like an overfilled water balloon ready to burst any second. So I guess her pure white image was only a mask for her slightly perverted tendencies...it makes more sense now.

"Oh ok...you have fun with that.." I started creeping away from her slowly, "Nice meeting you...Momoko."

"Oh I will~" she giggled, eyeing each handsome boy and giggling with delight, a flushed expression and curious smile spread across her face as she continued watching the boys from afar. She was squirming around a bit, but I moved away with haste.

I left her to do whatever it was that she was doing, seeing her sweating profusely as she saw Katsuki approach some other girls in the room as well trying to woo them as she eyed them closely from afar. The wedding planner was having the time of her life, let's put it like that.

I mean she's quirky...a bit boy crazy if you ask me, but she seems harmless. I mean, compared to everyone else, she's by far one the more normal people here, if not too "eccentric" for lack of a better term. Let's just say you don't need to drag this horse to a watering hole to know it's thirsty, if you know what I mean.

As I crept slowly away from Momoko, I bumped into something firm and stiff. This time it felt harder when my hand touched the side to feel it, so it wasn't anyone's belly fat, thank goodness for that.

"Please tell me it's not another person…" I started to sweat a little bit.

"Luckily for you, I won't bite your hand off," said a very deadpan voice, coming from above.

I let my hand go immediately as I crept away from the voice, noticing that I was touching someone's leg. I felt slightly embarrassed that I did it again, feeling a bit flustered, blushing a bit as well.

"Whoops…" I gulped, backing away quickly, "Didn't see you there….I guess I'm still a bit sleepy."

"From your blank and tired expression, I figured that was the case," the voice responded, sounding like a man's voice, "Or you could be a zombie come to life trying to eat my leg, hard to tell the difference."

I moved a safe distance away from the person and slowly looked up and was shocked by what I saw. I was too baffled for words, not so much out of sleepiness, but out of pure astonishment as to the person I saw before my eyes. It was a man, but when I saw him, oh boy...that's when I started to sweat a bit more.

He had short, gelled up spiky dark blue hair that shone in the gym lighting as well as grey-blue eyes that looked half closed and slightly sleepy. He had extremely chiseled facial features with a five o'clock shadow, probably meaning he recently shaved his face. However, what made my jaw drop slightly was his overall physique. To say he was a Greek god was an understatement. He had a very muscular physique and his body was made of pure muscle, no inch of fat to be seen on him, with toned biceps and prominent abs that were slightly visible through his clothes but not that noticeable at first glance. He had light tan skin, as if he sunbathed regularly on the beach somewhere and I noticed a few faded scars on his arms.

He was the very picture of human perfection, he was tall as well, probably taller than anyone else I've met so far and he was very domineering and slightly intimidating. However, his outfit made me double take as well, twice in a row, which is an achievement in of itself.

He wore what looked to be a teal colored surgical garb, consisting of a short sleeved shirt and baggy pants that barely hid his godlike body. A pair of blue and white running shoes with white socks on his feet with a white doctor's coat hung around his shoulders like a superhero's cape, with his medical badge attached to the right side of his pants' waist area. I also spotted a stethoscope around his neck as well as a beaded black akuma necklace sporting a white skull pendant. A dark blue surgical mask was wrapped around his right wrist and a dark blue arm warmer on his left arm. To finish off his look, there was a pen and scalpel in his shirt left side pocket, almost as if he might need those on him at all times.

One look at him, I instantly knew he was someone in the medical field or something similar. As to what kind of occupation, not really sure. He looked like one of those sports medicine doctors who used to be a retired athlete, which could explain his imposing figure, but since he was here, he must be a teenager too, which was very hard to believe.

"Excuse me…" I looked at him, standing up from my spot, "I'm a zombie...really?"

"You heard me," he snorted, crossing his arms, "What kind of person touches another person without their consent? Invasive much. Unless you were a zombie brought back to life by black magic, that would be interesting."

"Well I would apologize, but from your attitude, no thanks..." I yawned, forgetting that he could crush me with his bare hands at any hint of provocation.

"Well, no matter," he smugly smiled, "It's not everyday someone gets to touch the legs of the "God Hand" and walk away unscathed."

"God hand? I have no idea what you're talking about," I looked at him unimpressed, "Is that some cheesy nickname you gave yourself to make you feel better about yourself?"

"I wouldn't expect someone who looks like you to understand," he crossed his arms, "I do wonder if you stepped outside, would you disappear faster than two graverobbers in a cemetery?"

Well this guy's sense of humor was dark...I totally missed the joke entirely, but if it makes him happier, then good for him.

"What?" I asked, not sure what he meant.

"I'd rather not entertain living corpses," the muscular man scoffed, "Want to join the other skeletons in the closet, you look like you need to desperately eat something from your malnourished skin tone."

"You must be fun at parties…" I glared at him, sleepily, "Are you going to continue stroking your ego and belittling me or are you going to tell me your name?"

He fiddled with the stethoscope around his neck as he sighed deeply, turning to face me as his body loomed over me, casting a large shadow. For a second, I thought he was going to stomp me flat like a tin can, which would be an interesting way to die.

"Eizo Dokidoki, Ultimate Surgeon," he looked down at me, "If you're in need of medical services, I'm your man and all that sentimental crap, just don't die and we'll be right as rain."

 **EIZO DOKIDOKI - ULTIMATE SURGEON**

"You're a doctor…." I stood there, looking at him in the face, "Could have fooled me...you look more like a personal trainer if anything."

"Why thank you," he smiled confidently, flexing his right arm, "My body is a temple and taking care of it is one of my top priorities."

"Cool...I guess?" I shrugged again, "Am I supposed to be jealous or something?"

"A twig like you better make sure someone doesn't snap you in half and tear you into little pieces," he looked at me coldly.

"Wow...someone's melodramatic…" my eyes opened up wide, but blinking a few times, "Care for a grindstone to sharpen that edge?"

"Nah, not really, we're all bound to die one day," he states deadpan, very matter of fact, "So I might as well make the best use of this body while I still have it."

"I suppose so...you do you," I sighed, slightly unimpressed, "I couldn't care less…."

"Oh...care to explain?" Eizo asked, "Do you not appreciate this temporary shell we call a human body?"

"I don't really care….like you said, we're all bound to die sooner or later," I agreed with him, "But if our lives are so short...why even bother trying to improve ourselves, if we're just going to end up in the ground or ashes like everyone else at the end of the day."

"What an interesting mindset…" the surgeon thought for a second, "If only I could open up your skull and examine your brain, that would be cool."

"Knock yourself out….you won't find out much of anything honestly," I told him bluntly, "Just an empty pit of nothingness and regret."

"Is that a challenge?" he smirked proudly, "There's no surgery that I can't do and I always do a perfect job."

"Whatever helps you sleep better at night…" I dusted off my gown, "Later Eizo...my name's Ruri, by the way."

"Keep on having dark thoughts, Ruri," he waved back almost half heartedly, "I wonder if I should try practicing on that weird specimen Kotori...she's certainly intriguing."

I left the surgeon to fiddle around with his emo thoughts as I mentally noted that I met about thirteen people so far, with still no clue as to where I was. No one else here seems to know either, so talking with them didn't really seem to work. I just can't shake my head around it, was this all just one big coincidence?

"Hi Hi Hi!" shouted a voice from up close, "Ooh someone new! Today just keeps getting better and better, yippee!"

I almost jumped in place from that loud exclamation. The voice in question made my ears pop at its loudness and when I looked in front of me, what greeted me was someone else new, getting up in my face and almost deafening me in the process.

"Oww...my ears," I popped them by pinching my nose, "Someone's hyperactive.."

"Oops sorry!" the person, another female, apologized, "It's just I've never met so many people in one room before! It's almost as big as the musicals I perform!"

I looked around the room one more time and then looked down a few inches to see the person in question. A smile beamed across her face, filled with an optimism that made my skin crawl with how almost unnerving it felt to look at. It was supposed to be a kind smile, but I cringed slightly.

Her hair was a rose gold hue and messily flowed behind her and stopped near her mid back. Her chocolate brown eyes were round and very big almost giving her a childlike expression. She had dimples on her pale pink blushed cheeks complimenting her fair white skin tone. She had a decent sized chest along with a slender, demure figure. Her fingernails were trimmed and painted in red and black stripe patterns decorated on each nail and her plump red lips glistened with shiny red lip gloss to brighten up her look.

She had a very colorful appearance, very vibrant and sparkly like a Christmas ornament you hung on a Christmas tree. Her outfit tripled my impression of her sparkling personality even more, it had a very dramatic flair to it as well.

She wore a golden orange frilly dress ending near her thighs with white sparkles scattered throughout the pattern, glittering every time she moved around. Over her dress was a black coattail jacket with white tips on both ends. Black leggings were underneath her dress' skirt with white flat shoes on her feet decorated with glittery gold bows on each shoe strap. A red and black striped headband with a small red hat on top of the band wrapped with a white bow around its base, a gold charm bracelet with a heart, horseshoe, clover, star, diamond and teddy bear charms on her right wrist and a black choker around her neck with a checkered bow on the front of the choker.

A very flashy outfit for a very flashy person, it was very apropos. If this girl wanted to stand out in a crowd, then mission accomplished. She and Tatsuya both took the cake if that was the case.

"Musicals?" I asked, slightly curious as to what she meant, "Are you a singer or something?"

"Yessiree!" the girl chirped merrily, smiling even wider and more cheerfully, "La la laaaaaa!"

Her voice was louder than a megaphone, but her dulcet soprano voice was something to behold. Just from hearing her sing those basic notes alone, was enough to make me want to listen to more of the melodious tune. It was similar to that of a songbird, except this girl had the appearance of one of those exotic birds you see on those wildlife documentaries.

"Anyways!" the girl beamed a pearly white smile, "What's your name? Can we be best friends? What's your favorite food? Favorite color? Favorite type of clothing?"

"Ummm….." I stammered, not sure how to file her rapid fire questions, "What did you say?"

"Whoopsie, my bad!" she calmed down, but cheerfully gleamed another smile, "I just can't help myself when I'm around so many unique people, I just want to befriend everyone I meet!"

"I see…" I sweatdropped, "Who are you?"

"Oh that's right!" she calmed down for a second, brushing back some of her hair, "Hi Hi Hi, Rin Tsuzurahara here! Gracing the stage with wonder and joyous harmony, that's my goal! As the Ultimate Broadway Singer, you betcha bottom dollar I'm ready for tomorrow!"

 **RIN TSUZURAHARA - ULTIMATE BROADWAY SINGER**

"So you perform live and that kind of stuff?" I asked her.

"Yep yep!" she bopped up and down like a bobblehead who ate too much sugar, "It's so much fun too, every night we get to perform live for a large audience, we all pour our hearts and souls into our art, it's simply wonderful!"

"I bet…." I sighed, not really interested in what she was talking about, "So do you know how you got here?"

"Hmm…" she put her finger to her lips and mused, "Nope not really, I was in my dressing room getting ready for my next performance when someone knocked on my dressing room door. The next thing I know, I woke up in a classroom that I'd never seen before just like everyone else. That was a restful nap, best one I had in ages!"

So she was taken from her theater and knocked unconscious, makes sense. From what I gathered, some of these people don't know how they wound up here, but remembered getting kidnapped from their homes or places of work. This is rather strange indeed. However, Rin seemed to be taking this situation a bit too lightly if you asked me, her ubiquitous smile never ceasing to creep me out.

"Well that sucks…." I responded back disappointedly, "I'm Ruri Makura…."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Ruri!" she smiled and jumped into my arms, giving me a big hug, "I hope we can get along, however long we'll be here!"

I was flabbergasted by the broadway singer's surprise show of affection. It was unwarranted…but oddly comforting. It's been a while since someone has given me a hug that felt genuine or warm like this, not even my own parents show me this kind of warmth anymore, as if they actually cared.

"Oh...ok.." I blushed slightly, a bit surprised by the hug, "Ditto...I guess."

"See you later!" Rin sang, skipping merrily to meet more people, "Time's a wasting!"

I watched her skip over to try and socialize with Aloysius, the poor boy scared straight by her yelling into his ear, making him drop his book onto the floor. He's going to need all the help he can get.

I navigated my way through the crowd of other Ultimates and was able to find another spot where there wasn't anyone waiting for me, someone standing next to me or was already sitting down there. I plopped down onto the ground, resting my legs for a few seconds and sleepily observing the crowd from afar.

Rin was chatting up a storm as Aloysius tried drowning her out by covering his ears. Zakuro, Haruhi and Momoko were all chatting amongst each other, with Momoko getting a bit too hot and bothered by some of the attractive men in the room. Tatsuya was climbing up onto the basketball pole again as Latifah aimed her camera to make sure she got a perfect shot of his stunt, this time he was going to do a flip or something. Eizo was busy brooding in the corner, watching us from afar like an overseer while Saiji tried to see if he could take something from him, but then backed away immediately after the surgeon shot him a cold glare. Garou assisted Meisa up from a fall; after she landed on her face and messed up her outfit once again. Kotori and Nozomi were discussing something as she tried rhyming to her, with Katsuki trying his best to enter the conversation only to get ignored completely by the both of them.

"Is that everyone?" I wondered, quietly, "I hope so…"

I rested my head into my knees, covering my eyes as I tried falling asleep once more, tuning out all of the white noise in the room.

"So sleepy…." I yawned loudly, "I'd say I want to go home….but I don't have one."

I shut my eyes for a few seconds and slowly drifted off to sleep. Is this supposed to be some cruel joke? Did the universe tell me to stop acting like a spoiled brat and do something with my life? I didn't really know.. I never should have left my room….I should have taken the day off instead, at least I wouldn't have gotten kidnapped in the middle of the day.

"You seem lost," said a soft voice, "Are you in need of a shoulder to lean on?"

I was awoken again by another voice, this time the voice wasn't intrusive, sounding more polite in tone. It was hard to tell if it was a man or woman talking to me, since their voice was kind of androgynous, but in a more soft-spoken manner.

"I'm not sure anymore…" I responded tiredly, "I feel like I've always been dealt such a shitty hand in life….this feels like one of those moments."

"I see…" the soft voice thought, "Well I may not have the perfect solution to your dilemma, but I can offer guidance if need be?"

"Offering guidance….seriously," I looked up from my spot and looked around to see who was talking to me, turning to my right side and seeing someone near me, sitting down.

"Yes, people always tell me that I'm a good listener," the voice warmly said, "I can sometimes be a bit persuasive with words, but I try my best."

I got a good look at the person, next to me and was almost alarmed at how close they were. The voice belonged to a man, but I almost confused him for a woman, given his overall appearance.

He had long white hair fashioned into a ponytail, which was resting on the right side of his chest while some of his fringe partially covered his left eye. His bluish-purple almond-shaped eyes were almost entrancing to look at, like cool gemstones you'd want to keep staring at for hours, which also complimented his pale white skin. As I mentioned before, he had an androgynously skinny physique, which almost made me think he was a girl at first glance.

He had all the makings of a pretty boy: sultry looking eyes, smooth facial features and soft skin. Not to mention he looked conventionally attractive, for someone whose outfit made them look like some medieval cosplayer.

He wore a black, long sleeved dress shirt with pale blue pinstripes in the design with silver cross cufflinks fastened into his wrist sleeves along with white gloves on his hands. Black dress pants and white loafers added to the outfit. A bright white big bow was tied around his neck with a brown religious cross cameo in its center while a black bow with short ribbon tails was tied around his ponytail. He also wore a white and black striped patterned waistcoat with a white hooded robe tied by a black rope around his body, with the hood down and the back exposed like a cape. To finish his gothic-like attire, a white star dangle earring was hanging from his left ear while a black cross studded earring decorated in his right ear.

I would comment more on his very fantastical outfit, but I was far more mesmerized by his looks. There was something about him that almost made me want to know more about him. I shook my head, slapping my face and waking up from this trance as the boy looked on with genuine curiosity.

"Are you alright?" he calmly asked, "You seem a bit glum."

"Yeah...just ignore me….just thinking about things.." I replied dejectedly.

"I see….would you care to enlighten me on your issues?" he adjusted his hood and sat more comfortably.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, "You're not some Ultimate Therapist or something are you? If so, I don't believe in that crap anymore."

"Hehehe," he giggled, "Well I guess you can call me that….I am very candid with people as some might say and I do like to give my most honest opinion if possible."

I looked at him, with a doubtful eye, slowly slinking away from him. His words were smooth, but he came off slightly creepy if anything.

"Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself," he apologized, extending a hand to me, "My name is Danuja Uyemura, pleasure to meet you."

"Well Danuja…." I shook his hand, hesitantly, feeling his gloved hand, "Do you have a talent in the psychology field or something?"

He smiled, closed his eyes and giggled, as if I made a joke or something.

"Well not exactly," he trailed off, "I'm known as the Ultimate Cult Leader, actually."

 **DANUJA UYEMURA - ULTIMATE CULT LEADER**

Wait what...a cult leader!? Ok this is getting plain ridiculous… First a thief and now this. Who the hell picked these people? I mean whoever is promoting his talent and Saiji's must have been drunk or something when making that decision.

"Wait, I'm sorry..can you repeat that, what's your talent again?" I did a double take, a bit bewildered, by what he said.

"Is there something wrong with what I said?" he asked politely, "I said I'm the Ultimate Cult Leader."

"Uhuh...so I did hear you right," I mumbled, rubbing my temples, "This is just great…"

I pushed back some strands of hair and thought about what was even going on. I've met so many people today, I still had no clue of where I was and I only had more questions left unanswered.

"You probably want to know what's going on?" he presumed, "Am I correct?"

"More or less so," I looked at the cult leader, "Are you really a cult leader, first and foremost?"

"Yes I am," he nodded affirmingly, "I am the leader of an organization whose membership reaches the thousands margin, called "Cross Alba."

Oh boy, he is serious….just what I needed, some religious fanatic trying to brainwash me into their ideology.

"So what do you want?" I looked at him suspiciously, "Are you going to try and indoctrinate me or something to join your religion?"

"Why of course not," he protested defensively, "I would never force someone to join against their will, that would be rather uncouth and foolish for someone like me. I let my followers join of their own volition if you must know."

"If you say so…" I rolled my eyes, standing up from my spot and stretching, "I have to go...later Danuja."

"It was nice chatting with you, Ruri," he responded back politely, playing with his white ponytail.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, a bit surprised, "I never told you it…"

"I just happened to overhear you talking with the others," he smiled, "I'm a very good listener, hehehe~"

"Okay then...later," I waved to him, "It was nice meeting you...or whatever."

"Nice meeting you too," he waved back, still sitting down and observing the crowd of Ultimates, "I hope the two of us can get to know each other better in the future."

I walked away, trying my best to find some breathing room. It was rather exhausting, but I think I met everyone in the gym and from the looks of it, there was no one else left for me to greet.

"This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder…" I sighed deeply, "I just want to sleep…. Someone put me out of my misery now.."

I slumped against a nearby wall and plopped onto the ground again, this time falling asleep almost immediately. My body felt like it was run over by a truck; I was weak and I was hungry, I hadn't eaten anything yet and I was feeling faint.

"Could this day get any worse?…" I sleepily moaned.

Then as if on cue, the lights in the gym suddenly turned off and it was now pitch black. Everyone in the room started freaking out and I mentally screamed.

"Son of a bitch!" I hit my hand against the wall, "Can't a girl get some sleep around here!"

Then, the room went silent as a light appeared and revealed a stage. On top of it stood a wooden podium with a microphone and nothing else.

"What's going on?" I wondered as I got up from my seat.

It was sheer silence as none of us knew what to do in that situation.

"Welcome...I've been expecting you all!"

* * *

 **To be continued….**

* * *

 **A/N** : Hello hello hello everyone, lovely to see you all again! I hope you all are having a great day and or start to your weekend!

I'm finally done with all the intros to Nihilistic Symphony, bar one more X3. I hope you all liked the last set of characters introduced in this chapter, it took me a long time to make, but I had fun making these intros and I hope you all liked them.

Now that the full cast is introduced, who is your guy's favorites so far? Any characters that stand out the most to you? If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know in the reviews or PM's I love hearing your thoughts and critiques.

As of right now, I will be working on my other main stories and putting this story off to the side for now. I know I've been procrastinating lately, and I humbly apologize. I've been meaning to work on Hope's Lie and Laughable Rejects for a while now, but kept postponing the newest chapters.

Writer's block, lack of motivation, IRL issues and other stuff later.

So I hope this chapter lasts for a while and I will be working on my other stories for now, giving this story a little room to settle first before I dive deep into the story. Sorry for the cliffhanger XD.

Also today, September 24th, is Ruri's birthday! Congrats to our sleepy mattress tester MC! Hope she gets a full day of rest and relaxation...oh wait she's in a death game XD.

But that's all I wanted to say, I hope you all have a lovely day, night, holiday or whatever it is your celebrating and I will see you all in the next chapter, whenever I decide to upload next.

Happy reading my fellow readers, authors and otaku alike. I will see you all later, bye bye!


	4. NS: Our Merciful Headmaster & VA Intros

**Editors: Sparkquill & KISL**

* * *

Words echoed throughout the room as we all turned our attention towards the center stage near the far end of the room, still a bit surprised by that sudden voice from nowhere. I still sat where I was in the corner of the gym and watched from afar, too lazy to get up from my comfortable spot. We all waited in anticipation for something to happen, as there was a very awkward pause lingering in the room.

"Sorry for keeping you lovely people waiting," the high pitched voice announced once more, "How very baaaad of me~"

Still nothing, just more from the voice and no person present, other than the sixteen of us.

"What's even going on?" I mused, sleepily rubbing my eyes, "Is there someone else here that I haven't met yet? I'm honestly too tired to care… I just want to go to sleep."

"Is there some kind of show being put on here?" Haruhi wondered, fiddling with the green pincushion on her wrist, "I was starting to wonder if there really was anyone else besides us?"

"I'm not really sure what's happening, but it all sounds like fun!" Rin jumped up with excitement, "I wonder who's hosting this event!"

"I highly doubt it's anything good," Eizo sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall and sighing deeply, "I'd hazard it's the kidnappers who brought us here, obviously."

As the lights in the gym dimmed slightly, another light popped up on the stage, as we turned our gazes there. On the stage, there lay a wooden podium of sorts with a microphone resting on the stand, with the logo from the envelope I received before, embellished into the frame. Aside from that, nothing else seemed out of place, however the ominous silence sent a chill up my spine. We waited a few more minutes, eagerly anticipating for something to happen. That's when something popped up out of thin air.

"Hi-de-ho!" a high pitched squeal chirped once more, "Sorry for being so late, my baaaad~"

We stared listlessly towards the stage, when we saw something pop out from behind the wooden podium like something out of a magic trick. From out of nowhere, something small jumped out from below the stage and landed effortlessly on top of the podium and watched us almost vigilantly. It resembled some kind of plushie, looking at us with it's cute yet odd appearance and unnerving composure.

It looked like a fluffy sheep or some kind of lamb, however it didn't resemble any sheep I had ever seen before. One half of its' body was a fluffy white cloud color with a curly mane on top of it's head with a black dotted eye, giving off a very innocent aura. To contrast the white half, the other half was a lavender like purple color with the mane frizzier than the other side and the eye was shaped like a curly zig-zag and was colored a pinkish purple color, accompanied with a sinister white smile that curled at the end.

The sheep plushie continued watching us with a motionless stare, as some of us didn't know how to respond to this sudden revelation.

Personally, I didn't know whether to be amused at how childish this was, confused at why there was a toy robot of sorts talking to us or both. However from the chattering in the room, the others were questioning the presence of this mysterious sheep.

"Hello my lovely little students~" the sheep playfully giggled, sounding very feminine in tone, "I am Monoram, your sheepishly adorable headmaster of Serenity Heights Academy! Charmed, I'm sure!"

….What? Was I hearing this rejected children's toy, correctly? Headmaster? The first sign of other life and it tells us that, wonderful… she lied.

"Now I know you all must be confused and scared about all of this, which is completely understaaaaandable~" Monoram announced, "After all, you were all specifically chosen to join this prestigious academy, you should be more excited if anything!"

I continued watching it unfold from the corner of the room, whilst everyone else wondered what the sheep was babbling about. Some exchanged worried looks, some mumbled to themselves, while a select few didn't seem at all phased by this, even though they were stuck in the same situation as the rest of us. I can safely say that the mixed reactions weren't unwarranted in the slightest.

"So were you the one who kidnapped us?" Katsuki wondered, fixing his fedora, "How incorrigible."

"I wouldn't call it kidnapping per se," Monoram coyly said, "More so forceful coercion without your permission, I see no difference~"

"No fucking shit," Latifah snorted, "I was in the middle of an important scoop for my paper when your little goons manhandled me and let my story walk away."

"So sorry for that," Monoram smiled evilly, "I did do my best to make sure you all were alone when I captured you, but alaaaaaas none of you were willing to accommodate. How troublesome."

"That's not a very good excuse," Haruhi sweat dropped, clutching her handbag.

"I was on my way to dinner with my boo, we've been planning it for months," Zakuro pouted playing with his scarf, "Do you know how much time it took just to book that restaurant and get our schedules cleared?"

"Oh, pardon me, did I interrupt your little date?" Monoram snickered, then shooting the pomologist a glare, "Too bad so sad, stop shoving your perfect love life in other people's face, fruitcake."

"Well that was rather rude," Momoko frowned, "No need to start a catfight, you two."

"Or would that be a sheep fight?" Rin wondered, patting the small hat on her headband.

Monoram then jumped off from the podium and waddled it's way in the center of the group. It scoped out the area and looked at each of us from head to toe almost carefully, almost as if it was evaluating us individually or something.

"What a motley cast of characters we have here," Monoram giggled playfully, "How sheeptaaaaastic~"

"Why are we here exactly?" Garou asked the sheep, adjusting his "vote for me" sash. "Surely you didn't intend for us to be held for ransom, or for some sort of monetary gain?"

"My my, how very perceptive you are, Garry," the sheep bleated, and clapped at the politician. "You are right, I don't need anyone's blood money nor do I care for it. That's all so frivolous and gratuitous when I already have many other things to keep me haaaaapy and busy~"

"Cut the shit," Tatsuya intervened, fixing his shades onto his shirt, "What's your game and why have you brought us here?"

"Oh, Tatsie, what a pointless question to ask," Monoram snickered once more, "It's quite simple actually, I want all of you to participate in this little activity I call… The Killing Game."

As Monoram spoke those specific words, half of the room went dead silent almost immediately. The first tidbit of information we got was from some knockoff Craft-A-Cub toy and now it's talking in even more riddles and about something called a 'Killing Game'. How was this even reality, I must be dreaming or something, since I had a hard time believing any of this was occuring.

"Pardon me," Momoko raised her hand, "What is that exactly? Does it involve some kind of foreplay?"

"Are you seriously asking something as stupid as that?" Saiji sweated slightly at the wedding planner. "I don't think that's the case, blondie."

"I would assume it's nothing good," Katsuki thought, pointing out the obvious, "It sounds like a lame title for a B movie script. I'd decline it on the spot."

"Ooh, then can you tell us more about what this game entails, tinker tinker~" Kotori beamed an unusually creepy smile, "What are the rules, Monoram?"

"I'm glad you asked, my dear~" Monoram winked at the tinkerer, "It's a very easy concept to comprehend, even a mentally handicapped infant could grasp the basics from the name alone."

"Oh? Care to explain it to the rest of us then?" Eizo raised an eyebrow, feeling as if the sheep was insulting his intelligence.

Monoram then turned its back and looked at the stage, before turning its head slightly to the right and cackling as the purplish pink light on it's eye shone brightly. A sense of dread emanated from the animatronic toy, as chills ran down everyone's spines. I didn't know whether to take it as a joker or just casually ignore it.

I had a hard time believing it myself if I'm going to be honest. Thinking about it on further inspection, it seems that the sixteen of us, myself included, were trapped in here with no way to contact the outside world and from what I've seen there no exits in sight. So I guess what this sheep might have been saying could be true. Then again, I couldn't take what it said seriously given the fact it's done nothing but prattle on about 'inviting' us here and asking us to participate in some weird edgy game it just came up with on the spot.

"I'm not sure what's going on," Rin thought to herself, "But this game sounds like so much fun, what do we have to do, Monoram?"

"Why thank you for asking sweetie," Monoram smiled, snapping her non existent fingers, "I want you all to kill each other, doesn't matter how. Just present a dead body to the others and you'll be able to leave here and continue to live your miserable mundane lives, no strings attached."

"That's sound rea- wait a minute," Nozomi thought, finally putting two and two together, "This is wack, dog. What are you even talking about?"

"Oh but it's very un-wack, homie," Monoram crossed it's arms and posed, "Bludgeon, stab, poison, suffocate, strangle, chopped, sliced, diced, pureed, the sky's the limit! As long as you kill someone, I don't really care how it's done."

"This is quite the peculiar predicament," Danuja brushed back his fringe and pondered on what Monoram said, "Who knew we'd be kidnapped and forced into doing something like this, how bizarre..."

"B-But w-why us?" Meisa timidly asked the sheep, "W-What did w-we do to d-deserve any of t-this?"

"Oh precious little Mei," Monoram giggled mischievously and winked at the shrine maiden, "A lot of things, but we'll save the best parts for another time, wouldn't want to give away aaaall my secrets~"

"This is ridiculous…" Aloysius mumbled to himself, hugging his knees and monitoring everything from afar.

I agree with the historian. I don't see anything telling me to believe what this toy says with one hundred percent certainty. Maybe this was all just one big nightmare that I'm somehow still sleep walking through or something. However, from all the commotion in the room, I'm pretty sure I would have woken up by now given how noisy and wild it was getting.

"I don't believe any of this," Tatsuya jumped into the mix, "There's no way any of us would take your word seriously."

The daredevil pumped himself up, clenching his fists and looking ready to spar with the sheep. I didn't peg him the type to start a fight, but then again, I did just meet these people, so anything was possible.

"You're quite the rambunctious one aren't you," Monoram looked at him, unfazed by his change in demeanor.

"So what happens if no one bothers to follow your rules," Saiji asked the sheep, putting his hands in his coat, "Are we expected to stay here for the rest of our lives or something?"

"More or less so," Monoram answered bluntly, "If no one decides to go through with killing anyone, then that's perfectly fine… however you'd be forced to live inside this academy's walls for the rest of your lives until you grow old and die."

Some of us seemed a bit scared of the idea of living in here forever, an anxious air spread throughout the room as people started to slowly get a bit more nervous.

"E-Even so.." Zak muttered out, "What makes you think any of us will kill anyone else just to escape?"

"Yeah, we just met each other," Tatsuya cracked his knuckles, "I highly doubt anyone has any sort of animosity towards someone in here."

"He's right," Nozomi joined in, "These peeps are all cool in my book, why would you change that, homie?"

"Oh, you poor unfortunate souls," the sheep bleated with a giggle, "You'll know soon enough what I have in store for you all, but first I have something to give you all for being so patient with little old me and my tardiness~"

Monoram then jumped behind the wooden podium, pulled out a cardboard box of sorts and left it near the stage as we all stared at it, wondering what to do next.

"What's inside of that box?" Danuja asked politely, "Is it for us?"

"Is it a bomb?" Eizo wondered, scratching at his arm warmer, "Are you planning to spray our organs across the walls like wall paint in a horror movie?"

"First of all, ewww," Momoko cringed at the surgeon's remark, "And secondly, is it filled with something… lewd?"

"Why the fuck is that the first thing on your mind?" Latifah sighed, shaking her head at the wedding planner.

"I'm surrounded by weirdos…" Aloysius sighed disappointedly, rubbing his temples, "I want to go home…"

"If it was something deadly, I'm pretty sure the little lamb over there would have done us in already, instead of monologuing for an hour now," Saiji pointed out, twisting around his bandana around his head.

"Very true, Sai, very true," Monoram tried to snap their apparent lack of fingers at the thief. "Inside of this very special box, lies something that will be handy for your daily school life here at Serenity Heights Academy, and it's all thanks to yours truuuly~"

Most of us didn't know what to expect from what the sheep mascot was about to offer us, some of us were even too hesitant to open up the box to see what was hidden inside. Understandably so, given how cryptic and oddly foreboding this all felt.

"Come on guys," Tatsuya headed over to it, "It's just a small box, what's the worse that could happen?"

"Geez, never heard that line before," Katsuki rolled his eyes at the daredevil.

"That's pretty bold of you to assume," Haruhi twirled a curly strand of hair, "But what's inside Tatsuya?"

As the daredevil opened up the cover of the box, his face didn't register worry, more so confused excitement if anything. He pulled out something thin, black and device like which looked like some sort of tablet or electronic device. I guess it's safe to say it wasn't harmful or what we were expecting to find.

"Awww man…that's it?" Kotori looked dejected, "You're no fun, Monoram."

"Is that an iPad?" Katsuki wondered, adjusting his fedora. "I guess it's better than a bomb.."

"Not just any iPad, Kat," Monoram jumped into the crowd and pulled out a makeshift Ipad of her own, "These are what I call Monopads! They're your little e-handbooks that allow you access around the entire school, isn't that nifty?"

"So… iPads, basically," Latifah seemed unimpressed. "These fucking theatrics are unnecessary, just say what it is."

"Talk about a buzzkill…" Monoram bleated deflatedly, "You're not fun, Tiffieeee~"

"I don't s-see what's s-so fun a-about all of t-this," Meisa nervously twitched.

As Tatsuya pulled out some more Monopads, some of us noticed the backs of each device had specialized decals, possible correlating to our respective talents and each one was designed with care from how intricate each one looked.

"Oh sweet!' Tatsuya fist pumped in the air, grabbing an Ipad that had a flame decorated in red, white and blue sparkles with white stars in the center, "I've always wanted one of these, my manager never let me have anything like this!"

"Probably because you might have used it during one of your crazy stunts," Latifah rolled her eyes, grabbing a Monopad which bore a yellow and black striped pattern on the back with a grey newspaper sticker on the back with black ink writing, "I will admit this might be useful, might end up using it more often."

"Does this Monopad have any apps on it?" Zak asked, grabbing a Monopad with a wide variety of fruit decal on the back of his, in such gaudy bright rainbow colors, "Can we download anything onto it?"

"Well of course you can!" Monoram snickered affirmingly, "Teenagers nowadays can't live without their electronic gadgets, so I like to call this is a little compromise in exchange for your cooperation~"

"Maybe there are some social media apps I can download," Momoko thought, receiving hers which had a decal of golden wedding bells, a white flower bouquet and a pair of wedding rings on the back of hers, "I need to see what the last couple I helped are posting on their profile, to see how well it's working out."

"If that were the case, then we'd probably call for help using the online features," Saiji scoffed in her direction, "Would be rather counterintuitive to the sheep's plan or whatever it calls it." He pulled out his which sported a brown bag of money on the back with green dollar bills and gems of all colors on the back.

"True..but at least we have something to keep us busy in the meantime!" Rin chimed in, happily taking hers, which had the cover of black and white smiling and frowning masks surrounded by red music notes, "I wonder if there are any music apps on here?"

"You're taking this situation, rather well for someone who's been kidnapped," Eizo stared at the broadway singer in disbelief, taking his Monopad which has the decal of white hospital sword symbol with a red cross on the back and some metal scalpel stickers and fake red blood, "Eh, who cares."

"Still not so sure about all of this," Nozomi seemed suspicious of the Monopads but took hers anyway, "However I have too many songs flowing in my brain not to put onto here for later in my notes." Her Monopad sported a golden microphone with a bunch of lyrical raps filled with safe words on the back in white letters.

"At least some of you have your priorities straight," Katsuki tapped his cane and took his Monopad, "Hopefully this doesn't short circuit and end up killing us." His Monopad had a grey director's camera on a tripod and a black and white checkboard with the words 'ACTION' written in red letters.

"These Ipads are designed to be indestructible!" Monoram jumped into the mix, "Even if you tried to hack it or destroy it, it would prove to be a fruitless effort."

"I guess…" Aloysius reluctantly joined the others and took out his Monopad, the back resembling that of an old brown history book with a ship on the back, "Hopefully there's an online library.."

"I've never been the best with these kinds of devices," Garou inspected his, which had the flag of Japan on the back with some fake news headlines on the back in black ink, "So this might be cumbersome for me to use."

"I can help with that," Haruhi assisted the politician, "When you have an endless list of clients, using something like this becomes second nature to you." she smiled happily, her Monopad sported a bunch of fancy looking runway dress with some colorful thread wrapped around them with a grey needle.

"Umm.." Meisa looked at her Monopad, still unsure of how to open it, her's having a decal of pink sakura petals and a rocky shrine on the back with some white yokai symbols on the back, "I might n-need help t-too.."

The others dispersed and headed outside of the gym as they collected their Monopads, with the exception of myself, Danuja and Kotori. To be honest, I didn't really care for that kind of stuff nor did it interest me.

I rarely had the time to use that kind of stuff, I didn't even own a cellphone or anything of that sort. I personally didn't bother with using social media or going online and I got bored of playing online mobile games a long time ago after beating most of the levels and rage quitting after certain points.

I sleepily yawned, stood up from my position and proceeded to exit the gym, before getting pulled to the side by someone. I turned my head and saw Kotori dragging me over to the box, the tinkerer's grip as strong as ever.

"What are you doing?" I groaned, "Let go of me…"

"Isn't it obvious, silly~" she smiled and adjusted her top hat, "We're going to get your Monopad of course! I'm so excited to use mine, tinker tinker!"

As much as I wanted to disagree with her, I knew trying to dissuade her was pointless. I succumbed to her demands and followed her to the box as I noticed there were three Monopads still left inside untouched.

One of them sported a metallic looking design, with metal screws, bolts, nuts and golden cogs and bronze gears. It must be Kotori's, judging from her overall steampunk look, it suited her perfectly. I do like the colors though, each one contrasted well with each other, much like gears in a clock.

Another one had a white cross on the back with a white and grey dove on opposite ends of the cross with a white scroll with some religious text underneath the cross. This one must belong to Danuja, which was ironic since the religious imagery seemed to suggest he was more than just a cult leader, but that could have been me reading too much into it.

"Such a cute tool," Kotori smiled childishly, scanning her Monopad thoroughly, "This will be quite handy, hopefully I can disassemble it for spare parts sometime in the future~"

I looked at the tinkerer and sighed deeply, still unsure as to what was going on through her mind at that moment. I searched inside for mine, before a hand reached inside to grab one of the devices before I could react.

"Oh pardon me, Ruri," Danuja apologized, holding his Monopad, "I guess this one is mine. I do find this kind of decoration quite fascinating."

Feeling the back of it, the cult leader admired the smoothness of the Monopad, checking it from top to bottom, as if discovering what technology was for the first time. I guess when you join a cult, you have no need for stuff like this. It must be out of his comfort zone or against his religious beliefs.

"C'mon, Riri," Monoram appeared in front of me," Grab yours and head on outside! Time's a-wasting~"

Monoram disappeared from sight as I peered inside of the box, noticing one more Monopad left. Picking it up, I peeked at the design on the back, noting some pink sparkles sparkling. The decal was that of a comfy fluffy bed with some pink and white pillows, a pink blanket and some white sheep on the back. Probably mocking my talent as a Mattress Tester.

"Let's see what all the fuss is about." I rubbed my eyes and opened up the tablet, which displayed a purplish kind of paint splotch background with my profile and headshot in full view.

"This is kind of freaky...I don't remember taking this picture." I scratched my head, a bit perturbed by what I saw, "Let's see here…"

I scrolled through the Monopad and clicked on a tab marked 'Profile' which took me to another window. Inside the app was my picture from head to toe. It also listed my weight, height, birthday, age, gender and likes and dislikes.

 ** _Name: Ruri Makura_**

 ** _Gender: Female_**

 ** _Talent: Ultimate Mattress Tester_**

 ** _Height: 5ft. 5inc._**

 ** _Weight: 90lbs._**

 ** _Birthday: September 24th_**

"This is kind of freaky.." I thought, perusing the profile further, "What's this one?"

I scrolled through more of my profile and saw a tab labelled 'Crime' at the bottom of the list. However to the side, it listed something I thought rather strange. Right next to it, instead of words, was three question marks, as if it was an achievement to be unlocked in a video game or something.

"This just gets weirder and weirder." I sighed, exiting the app and searching for more. I noticed one more app that read 'Rules.'

Curious as to what it entailed, I pressed the app. As it opened, a chibi version of Monoram popped out from the screen and presented a set of rules listed as follows:

 **1) Students of Serenity Height's Academy are allowed to explore the school to their leisure. Locked rooms are indicated by a glowing sheep's face on the door. Forcing your way into locked rooms is forbidden and a punishable offense.**

 **2) Night time is from 9 PM to 9 AM. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitories is strictly prohibited and will be dealt with by Monoram.**

 **3) Violence of any kind towards Monoram, is strictly forbidden and will be punishable by death.**

 **4) When three or more people discover a body, this will commence a body discovery announcement and thus an investigation period will commence.**

 **5) A blackened who is able to outsmart the spotless students, will be eligible for graduation and will be granted immediate access out of the school. Everyone else dies.**

 **6) If the spotless guess who the correct blackened is, then they will be executed alone and everyone else will be able to continue living their communal school life.**

 **7) Further rules will be added at any time in the near future.**

I guess this place needed to have some sort of twisted set of regulations for it to sustain itself. I mean, Monoram seems to have all of her ducks in a row, so the person behind all of this seems to know what they're doing.

I closed the app and proceeded to exit the gym, noticing that I was the only one still inside, from looking around. Was this really what fate had intended for me? To be kidnapped alongside these fifteen other people and forced to fight for a way out?

I don't really know what's going to happen, however I didn't really care to find out. My mind was too flustered and tired to process most of what just happened. I decided to peruse the area and search for the dorms; closing the doors behind me, I left the gym.

I sleepily yawned, watching the hallway cameras stare at me, and whoever was behind those cameras watching us. I didn't pay it any mind as I walked down the hallways of this mysterious school.

I hadn't the faintest idea of what was going on, but what I do know is….something was bound to happen, for better or for worse.

* * *

 **Danganronpa: Nihilistic Symphony**

* * *

Sheep prance around as they circle a figure laying in the center. The figure sleepily rests on a flat white mattress, their pink hair strewn across the bed's mattress. As the sheep jump over them, they count the sheep one by one. Their snoring intensifies as a sheep lands on top of them. Throwing the sheep away as fuzz flies off the sheep's skin, the figure goes back to sleep. The fuzz spells out the sleeping person's name: Starring **Ruri Makura**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Melissa Hutchison / Japanese VA: Minami Tsuda)**

Blowing away, the fuzz burns to a crisp when it touches a flaming ring. More precisely there are five rings set on fire, two skateboard ramps on both side of the flaming rings. In the distance a figure emerges from the shadows, swiftly driving a motorcycle as it jumps off the first ramp, the figure posing in the air while passing through the flaming hoops. Clad in their daredevil motorcyclist costume, they rest back on top of the motorcycle and land perfectly on the ground, while their motorcycle crashes into a small explosion. The figure laughs it off as an adoring crowd cheers them on, the remains of their decimated motorcycle leaking out black oil that is lit on fire. The oil trail spells out the person's name. It reads: **Tatsuya Teruhashi**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Roger Craig Smith / Japanese VA: Matsuoka Yoshitsugu)**

The fire quells as it's washed away by what looks like clear yellow liquid. The liquid is from a champagne bottle, popped open as white flowers and wedding bells sound off in the distance. A figure watches from the sidelines as two of their clients join in holy matrimony, putting golden rings on each finger. As the happy couple walks off, the figure follows them from behind, spying from the bushes as they fantasize about all the wonderful things they will do on their honeymoon. The figure walks off, grabbing a white bouquet of flowers and placing a golden ring on their finger which reads their name. It reads: **Momoko Iesada**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Grey DeLisle / Japanese VA: Miyu Matsuki)**

The figure happily runs off to a crowd of hot men as they toss the bouquet up in the air, landing in someone else's hands. The flowers change to a wide heavy book stacked on top of other books, the room filled with papers and documents from the past and present. The figure researches each important individual and updates each new interpretation of the figure before sending it off to their editor for approval. Sighing deeply, the figure grabs a book from the top of the pile, titled 'History of the World'. As they exit their study, the books topple over and land on the ground. The books fly open, a page in one book containing the person's name. It reads: **Aloysius Brighton**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Max Mittelman / Japanese VA: Shun Horie)**

The pages of the book tear from the frame and land on a desk, the once meticulous notes turning into design sketches of outfits and clothing. The figure draws their ideal clothing line as they consult one of their nameless models on what to wear and what goes with what color. However, one of the dresses on the model tears off during a runway shoot. The model is shocked but the figure comes to the rescue and stitches up the dress, giving a new touch to an old look. The cameras flash as the figure walks off fabulously, a spool of thread a needle falling from their bag and spelling out their name. It reads: **Haruhi Uchimiya**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Karen Strassman / Japanese VA: Asami Imai)**

The thread sews itself into a tailor made suit where a figure is getting fitted for a very special event. Loud noises could be heard from outside as the figure is nervous but stone faced about the entire event. They step out of the shadows and appear before the large monstrous crowd of people all applauding and chanting their name. Stepping up to the podium, the figure begins to speak a lengthy speech. After the speech, confetti flies everywhere as people with giant cardboard cutouts flip them over in sync and reveal the charismatic individual's name. It reads: **Garou Fujiyama**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Paul St. Peter / Japanese VA: Yuuichirou Umehara)**

As the confetti dust sprinkles on the floor, it transitions into white salt. The white salt surrounds a negative energy in the room as one lone figure shakily tries to quell the demon. Clad in red and white, a hood over their head, they raise a magic wooden staff and begin chanting a prayer at the demon. The salt rises and vanquishes the demon from site, as the mysterious hooded figure approaches an ancient shrine and decorates it with flowers and incense. They take off their hood and tend to the shrine, the incense smelling of potpourri. The lingering smoke trails spells out the hooded figures' name. It reads: **Meisa Hayakawa**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Eden Riegel / Japanese VA: Ai Kayano)**

The smoke trail transforms into a dense misty fog that encompasses the area. It's a dark night as a giant building alongside other prominent buildings stood. All is quiet in the city until a red blaring siren alarms the entire street. It appears the building, which is a bank, has an intruder. As police officers arrive at the scene, they enter to find the vault and caches empty and pilfered. There's no message from the thief, but a mysterious figure lurks atop of the bank's roof before escaping in a dark alleyway, a large bag slung around their shoulder as they rush to another quiet street. A spotlight suddenly shines on the elusive figure as they make a mad run for it. They keep running until a cop shoots at them, tearing a hole in the bag as tiny crumpled dollar notes spill out and spell the fugitive's name. It reads: **Saiji Ogata**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Scott Porter / Japanese VA: Noriaki Sugiyama)**

The figure then passes a random run-down looking building. An event is being held there as loud cheering and hip hop music plays in the background. Inside is a group of people chanting lyrics, as two figures onstage hold some sort of contest between each other. The figure then spits some mad bars as the opponent fumbles for words to counter. The crowd begins to boo the opponent as the figure raps their rival into submission with their flowing lyrics and multiple verses. As the rapper finishes their verse, loud noises blare from outside as the cops from earlier come inside and interrupt the event. The figure then disappears off stage, exiting through the backdoor and stepping into a puddle of water. The puddle of water spells out their name. It reads: **Nozomi Sakukaji**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Marcella Lentz-Pope / Japanese VA: Rie Kugimiya)**

The water ripples and forms into a clear liquid with sharp metal tools resting inside for sanitization. A figure appears beside the body of someone unconscious, prepped for their operation. Raising their hands up, the figure begins to cut open the individual, blood splattering their mask and gown. Their incisions are deep as they target a small tumor and some worms inside of the person. After stitching them up, they take off their gloves and mask and immediately wash their hands. The nurses take the body out of the ER as the doctor admires their handiwork, the residue blood spelling out their name. It reads: **Eizo Dokidoki**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Crispin Freeman / Japanese VA: Miki Shinichirou)**

The blood washes away as the red colors shift to a darker inked tone. The inked words are then typed and printed onto articles of paper, more and more papers getting produced by the second. Workers run to and fro in a bustling office, answering calls and typing down their work in the form of articles. A figure appears, observing their employees progress and approaching a few. The figure either approves it with a thumbs up or deletes their entire work history, due to the work being un-newsworthy. Heading back to their office, they begin typing up their work as well, continuing to edit and publish articles sent to the mass public. After typing up an article, they initial their name underneath it. It reads: **Latifah Cartwright**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Kimberly Brooks / Japanese VA: Yoko Hikasa)**

The published article gets printed just as a news story about fruit production appears in view. It transitions from black and white to fruity and colorful, displaying actual fruit being grown in the factories. Pesticides and other chemicals are sprayed over the fruit and crops as one figure grabs their clipboard and details the harvest's results. They spot an unnatural fruit that's sprouting flowers of every shade of the rainbow. Picking up the fruit, the person begins to study it as they approve the other fruit ready for human consumption. They rest the mysterious fruit on the table and cut it open, and it releases a sickly sweet odor. Seeds spill out of the fruit and spell the name of the person researching it. It reads: **Zakuro Sakuranbo**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Kyle McCarley / Japanese VA: Kengo Kawanishi)**

The seeds are planted into the ground and overtime, they sprout pretty flowers of every species. Another figure picks one of the flowers, a bright red rose that they pin to their coat lapel. They are attired in a very theater like costume as they skip merrily onstage and watch as the audience in the darkly lit room watches them perform. The figure sings in perfect harmony, lilting the audience and gaining their admiration and attention. Then as the chorus kicks in, more dancers and singers appear from behind the singer and start acting out a scene from a musical. Then they all danced in perfect rhythmic timing. As the singer finishes the song, the audience claps and whistles, flowers being thrown to the people on stage with the fallen petals spelling out the person's name. It reads: **Rin Tsuzurahara**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Ashly Burch / Japanese VA: Nao Touyama)**

As the singers leave the stage, a camera appears and records the entire event. The figure filming then shoots a romantic comedy movie. The two actors on stage profess their love for each other as the camera rolls, the director yelling cut as a bell rings in the distance. They talk with the lead actress, coaching her on her lines before she heads back on stage and resumes her role with the male lead. When the camera rolls again, doves and fireworks shine in the background as the two kiss each other. The movie's production then transfers onto the big screen, with people in the theater clapping and crying at how heart warming the love story is. The director winks and smiles at their adoring critics and fans as the credits roll on the screen, their name listed underneath 'Directed by'. It reads: **Katsuki Yukimoto**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Sam Riegel / Japanese VA: Kensho Ono)**

The screen fades to black after lengthy credits, something piercing through the screen an ripping it in half. A figure tests out their homemade crossbow, shooting arrows at targets before they fall apart, with spare parts scattered everywhere. The room is full of junk, littered with cogs, gears and screws. The figure begins working on their latest invention, merrily tinkering away as they create their own mini catapult made out of old wooden furniture and rocks they found outside. The rocks are tossed around as the catapult spirals out of control. The figure tosses their wrench at it, but the machine somehow explodes the workshop, creating a mess of bolts and wires. Giving up, the figure playfully moves onto the next project as the old nuts and screws spell out their name. It reads: **Kotori Nomura**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Cristina Vee / Japanese VA: Chinatsu Akasaki)**

The nuts and bolts fall into a basket and turn into coins and dollars. The donations are put inside a massive box, designed to profit a small church. This church devotes their time to a religious figure, the congregation clad in grey hoods. It is filled to the brim with people bowing and praying to a figure of a deity in the back of the room. One white hooded figure emerges from the crowd, lighting a few candles around the donation box before offering it to the deity. The entire cult chants a song as the hooded figure rests near the altar and preaches to their devotees. Their offerings and tithes are lauded by the leader of the group as the figure reads from a scroll, their name written in black cursive lettering. It reads: **Danuja Uyemura**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Roger Rose / Japanese VA: Hiroshi Kamiya)**

The crowds of people disperse after the sermon, and a shadowy figure appears from behind the altar of the cultic church. Shaped like a sheep, this little figure grabs the offerings and tithes and runs away with it, snickering sheepishly as it left its' mark of a sheep's face with a sinister smile on the ground. The sheep escapes as a name is left behind of the unknown creature. It reads: **Monoram**. And underneath that: **(English VA: Amber Hood / Japanese VA: Takako Sasuga)**

The credits comes to a denouement as a cryptic message pops up…

 **DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF PURPOSE IN LIFE?**

 **EVERYONE IS THE MAKER OF THEIR OWN DESTINY.**

 **SOME CHOOSE A LIFE FILLED WITH WONDER.**

 **OTHERS CHOOSE TO LIVE IN VOIDS OF NIHILISM.**

 **DO YOU KNOW WHICH YOU FALL INTO?**

 **PROMISING RICHES OVER EMPTINESS.**

 **WHAT'S THE POINT, IF IT'S A MEANS TO AN END?**

 **WHAT'S THE POINT OF IT ALL?**

Welcome to Serenity Heights' Academy my lovelies….endless potential awaits aspiring youth like you all….so why not strive for better...do you really want a future?

Or do you choose nothingness...a lesson of one's resolve.

How do you know your purpose…..if you never even had one?

 **Remaining Students: 16**

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 _Next time….Chapter 1: A Sense of Dread_

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 **A/N** : Hello hello hello everyone, nice to see you all again and I hope you all are having a nice day!

What's this another NS chapter instead of working on your other stories, what is this black magic XD. You might be asking, well I have an explanation for that.

As of right now, I am currently alternating between my three to four stories and will be making a chapter for each one after the other, so Hope's Lie was recently updated which probably means I will focus my attention to the others to give that chapter some time to breathe.

That said I'm making the chapters, they're just taking a lot of time and there's only so much I can manage, curse my overly ambitious nature XD.

I've also been a little busy with my IRL life as well, but not as much as I thought I'd be, so yeah XD.

But anyways I hope you all liked this little VA intro I did for NS, I wanted to do a little something for my OC story and I hope this is good, I had a lot of fun making it and at the same time, it was frustrating searching for the right VA, but it was well worth it.

What do you guys think? I hope this is okay. Chapter one will be coming soon, but I need to plan the cases first before anything else, however most of the characters fates are already sealed, so there's no changing that OwO.

That's all I wanted to say, I hope you all have a great day, night, holiday or whatever it is your celebrating and I will see you lovely people in the next upload or whenever I decide to post next.

Happy reading my fellow readers, authors and otaku alive, I wish you all the best and yeah.

Bye bye!


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